Τhe Truth about The Statue of [Porto] Rafti.

The Truth About the Statue of the [Porto] Raftis

Much has been said and written about the so-called "Tailor's statue"—the colossal figure of Porto Rafti, the “marble beauty,” and other fictionalized accounts. However, despite the abundant speculation and mythology that has developed around the statue—likely inspired by the intricate folds of its garment and the supposed “tailor” that gave the area its name—no serious or substantiated explanation has been published to this day.

It is known that travelers, from the late Middle Ages to more recent times, referred to this landmark at the entrance of the harbor. The traveler Niccolò da Martoni, who landed at Porto Rafti in 1395, was the first to mention the two statues—one on Raftis and one on Raftopoula. Some, like J.C. Hobhouse, believed the Raftis islet once served as a lighthouse. The German archaeologist L. Ross (1834) was the first to correctly identify that the “tailor” statue represented not a man, but a woman—either a goddess or an empress, possibly Regilla, wife of Herodes Atticus. However, nearly none of these claims are true.

Careful examination of the statue's sculptural details and the historical context of Attica reveals several important facts about the so-called "Raftis statue":

1. It is a colossal, seated female figure, wearing a deeply folded mantle (see Image 1). A closer inspection of the statue fragment reveals these features, although fanciful myths have long obscured the truth. Such seated female figures are commonly found in Hellenistic statues and votive shrines of the goddess Cybele. Examples include:

   • A statue of Cybele (Rhea) from Moschato, 4th century BC, in the Piraeus Museum (Image 2).

   • A statue of Cybele in the Chaironeia Museum, Boeotia (Image 3).

   • A recently discovered statue in Kotyora, Pontus (2016) (Image 4).

   • Similar findings in the Marathon Museum (Image 6) and Lavrion (Image 7).

   One of the most significant cults of the Hellenistic period was that of the Hellenized Mother of the Gods, Cybele (Rhea), as evidenced in Euboea by various portable finds. In cities like Chalkida, Istiaia, Oreoi, and Karystos, marble shrines and statuettes depicting the goddess enthroned with her lion companion were discovered—mostly from private homes (Katsaounou Sylvana, 2012). For Athenian-Euboean relations, see also Reber 2001, 2002; Vranopoulos 1972, 1986. Pausanias (I, 31, 4–5) also noted the shared celebration of the Amarynthia festival between Athenians and Euboeans, who honored Artemis Amarysia in Amarynthos.

   In 394 BC, Eretria and Athens signed a treaty. During the second half of the 4th century BC, they engaged in interactions and conflicts with Philip II of Macedon. In 349 BC, Eretria rebelled against the pro-Macedonian faction and, together with Chalkida, sought Athenian assistance. The Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC marked the beginning of Macedonian control over Euboea (Vranopoulos 1972).

   
   

2. The statue faces eastward—toward Karystos and Asia Minor. Karystos was the only Euboean city that remained in the Athenian League in 349/348 BC and did not join the Euboean revolt. It participated in both the First and Second Athenian Leagues. Karystian tombstones and columns found in Athens date to the late Classical and Hellenistic periods, but very few have been found elsewhere. Karystians were notably active in Athenian political and commercial life (Chidiroglou Maria, 2012).

   
   

3. The statue is located at the summit of Raftis islet. Scholar Vermeule considered it reasonable that it may have once served as a beacon and tentatively dated it to the Roman 2nd century AD (Vermeule C., 1976). While it undoubtedly marks the entrance to the bay, it lacks structural features of a lighthouse, such as signs of thermal stress. The dating may have been speculative, based on limited examples available when early foreign travelers roamed Greece. Its stylistic features—such as the naturalistic drapery folds—may well place it in the Hellenistic period, like the well-preserved statue of a goddess found in the Liosia landfill (Bozoni A., 2016, see Image 5), whose features resemble those of the Raftis statue, though the latter is poorly preserved.

   
   

4. Statues of the goddess Rhea or Cybele have also been found in Lavrion and Marathon. The worship of Cybele appears to have been widespread in Eastern Attica. As the Phrygian goddess of earth, fertility, motherhood, mountains, animals, and social institutions, Cybele was also associated with prophecy and healing. In Greek tradition, she was later identified with Rhea, the Olympian mother of the gods, and shared features with Gaia, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis.

   
   

5. The name “Raftis” may linguistically derive from Rhea (or Cybele). For instance: Rhea → Rea-ftopoula → Raftis, etc. In conclusion, the so-called “Raftis statue” is most likely the torso of a statue of the goddess Rhea (or Cybele), dating to the Hellenistic era, when her cult re-emerged in the Greek world. Her seated posture, the draped mantle, the sculptural style, and the location’s name all support this interpretation. Furthermore, archaeological evidence from the fortified Koroni peninsula confirms continuous habitation during the Hellenistic period under the Ptolemaic kingdom (successors of Alexander the Great). Porto Rafti’s harbor was likely connected to trade routes between Athens and Karystos, functioning as a commercial and religious hub as well as a maritime shelter for the Mesogeia region, greater Attica, and possibly even for Mediterranean powers like the Ptolemies—especially within the context of grain and wine trade.

REFERENCES / Βιβλιογραφια

Βρανόπουλος, Ε. (1972) Ελληνιστική Χαλκίς: συμβολή εις την ιστορίαν των ελληνιστικών χρόνων της Χαλκίδος. Αθήνα: Τυπογραφείον Πανταζίνας Δ. Σπανόπουλου.

Βρανόπουλος, Ε. (1986) ‘Η συμβολή της Εύβοιας στην οικονομικοκοινωνική εξέλιξη του αρχαίου κόσμου’. Ανθρωπολογικά και Aρχαιολογικά Χρονικά I, 71-78

Αργυρώ Μποζώνη 2016 - Ενας αρχαιολογικος «περιπατος» στη μυχια ιστορια του Πειραια -Η ιστορία της πόλης του Πειραιά μέσα από τα σπάνια εκθέματα του Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Πειραιά https://www.elculture.gr/blog/article/περίπτωση-του-αντρές-σερράνο/

Συλβάνα Κατσαούνου, 2012. Η λατρεία της Κυβέλης στην Εύβοια. Μία νέα θεώρηση του θρησκειολογικού περιεχομένου της Μητέρας των Θεών και η συμβολή της Ερέτριας σε αυτή

Χιδίρογλου, Μαρία, 2012 - Διδακτορική Διατριβή Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ). Σχολή Φιλοσοφική: Ancient Karystia: a contribution to the history and archaeology of the region from the Geometric to the Roman Imperial period

Cornelius Vermeule Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1976), pp. 67-76

Ινστιτούτο Κυβέλη. Η Κυβελη του μυθου – https://kyveli.eu/%ce%ba%cf%85%ce%b2%ce%ad%ce%bb%ce%b7/%ce%b7-%ce%ba%cf%85%ce%b2%ce%ad%ce%bb%ce%b7-%cf%84%ce%bf%cf%85-%ce%bc%cf%8d%ce%b8%ce%bf%cf%85/

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