Atlas Statue at Museo Archeologico Nazional - Naples, Campania, Italy
N 40° 51.213 E 014° 15.030
33T E 436826 N 4522770
The Farnese Atlas in Naples' Museo Archeologico Nazional is the oldest extant depiction of Atlas from Greek mythology, and the oldest view of the Western constellations, possibly based upon the star catalog of Hipparchus.
Waymark Code: WMKBJW
Location: Campania, Italy
Date Posted: 03/15/2014
Views: 8
The Farnese Atlas is a 2nd-century Roman marble copy of a Hellenistic sculpture of Atlas kneeling with the celestial spheres, not a globe, weighing heavily on his shoulders. It is the oldest extant statue of the Titan of Greek mythology, who is represented in earlier vase-painting, and more important, the oldest known representation of the celestial sphere.
It stands 2.1 metres tall, and the globe is 65 cm in diameter.
The name Farnese Atlas reflects its acquisition by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in the early 16th century, and its subsequent exhibition in the Villa Farnese.
The globe shows a depiction of the night sky as seen from outside the outermost celestial sphere, with low reliefs depicting 41 (some sources say 42) of the 48 classical Greek constellations. It dates to Roman times, around AD 150, but has long been presumed to represent constellations mapped in earlier Greek work.
Construction Material: Marble
Is this Atlas?: yes
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Visit Instructions:
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