Oecumenius

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The statue represents a provincial governor called Oecumenius of the later fourth or early fifth century AD. He is identified by the inscribed base, and wears soft boots and a long cloak (chlamys) over a long-sleeved tunic. The military cloak was pinned at the shoulder with a broach (now missing), and was worn by members of the civil administration when on duty away from the capital. The base tells us that he was a lawyer, bilingual in Greek and Latin, and incorruptible (‘pure in hand, pure in mind’). He holds a scroll in his right hand and is animated by the right turn of the head and a slight smile in his plump, bearded face. He wears a fashionable hairstyle of the period, brushed forward into a wreath of locks around the face. An inscription on top of the head – three letters, XMG, inscribed neatly on top of the head are a common abbreviation of the phrase ‘Christ was born to Mary’ and probably indicate that the sculptor was a Christian.

Found at: North Agora