Antisthenes at The British Museum, London

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This is the bust portrait of the Greek philosopher Antisthenes. Antisthenes (about 450-370 BC) came to be regarded as the founder of the Cynic school of philosophy. Cynic means 'dog-like', and the name refers to the unworldliness of Antisthenes and his followers. Diogenes of Sinope, who made his home in a barrel, was a follower of the Cynic school. Antisthenes died in 370 BC. This image appears to have been created - perhaps on the basis of an earlier portrait - in Pergamon (Pergamum), a Greek city of Asia Minor, in the late third or early second century BC. The wild hair, ragged beard, arched eyebrows, furrowed brow, prominent nose and hooded deep-set eyes are all features of a generalized philosopher type developed for the library of Pergamon, capital of one of the great Hellenistic dynasties. Features indicative of a specific individual were overlaid on this general type. The Pergamon Library portraits were much copied in the Roman period. This one was found with copies of others near the Via Appia outside Rome. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.