Exploring the Significance of the Exposed Right Breast on the Hellenistic Old Market Woman

Abstract

The Old Market Woman is a nearly life-size free-standing statue that depicts awalking elderly woman. It is a 1st-century CE Roman copy of a Hellenistic original statue. Her identity, appearance, and her function have been extensively explored by previous scholars. However, outside of commentary about its appearance, function, and relation to other statues of elderly people, very little attention has been given to her exposed right breast and its significance. This thesis aims to explore the significance and nuanced nature of this exposed right breast by analyzing the statue’s elderly appearance, examining the role of elderly women in Hellenistic society, comparing the statue with another Hellenistic depiction of an elderly woman (the so-called Drunken Old Woman), and discussing its context and votive function.