at the waist), and its neatly combed hair, which hangs in tresses on either side of the figure's head. The Greek Monumental Period (660–650 BCE) was marked by life-sized sculpture, the origins of which several scholars trace to Greek cultural interaction with Egypt and Mesopotamia. Homolle noted in his initial publication of the Nikandre sculpture that "the hair is spread out on the shoulders, pretty much in the manner of the hairstyle of the Egyptians - which at first sight gives our statue the look of an Egyptian work." Nikandre's dedication, which stands tall and thick, is one of the earliest life-size marble sculptures to survive intact and many have therefore attributed it to the start of this new period of Archaic monumental sculpture. Reception In discussing the "problem of description" in archaeology, A. A. Donohue has shown that historically, most scholars have described Nikandre's dedication in negative terms. Donohue holds that the "objective" description of archaeological objects has been anything but. Through an evaluation of the historical, ethnic, and psychological context of scholarly criticisms of the statue, Donohue illustrates how the reception of Nikandre's dedication today should not necessarily build on previous descriptions, which have often scorned the flat nature of the work and the heavy dress as poor craftsmanship. In comparison with later Hellenistic sculpture, which is characterized by a progressively idealistic treatment of the human form, Nikandre's dedication, with its heavy garment and blockish torso, appeared to many early scholars as wholly unfeminine. In contrast, Donohue argues that the heavy clothing and stance of the figure were meant to convey the respectability and stature of the female within her society. See also Lady of Auxerre List of ancient Greek and Roman monoliths Mosaics of Delos References Bibliography National Archaeological Museum, Athens 7th-century BC Greek sculptures Ancient Delos Archaeological discoveries in Greece Korai