CHOP ITS ARMS OFF.

Here endeth the lesson.

 

No – I’m not being facetious. This is exactly what happened to the Statue of Laocoön and his sons.

The picture above is of the original statue. It’s said to be ancient but was more likely sculpted during the 16th century.

Laocoön is (maybe) a Trojan priest who tried to persuade his fellow Trojans to burn the Greek-gifted Wooden Horse.

Wikiwhatever quote:

“The most detailed description of Laocoön’s grisly fate was provided by Quintus Smyrnaeus in Posthomerica, a later, literary version of events following the Iliad. According to Quintus, Laocoön begged the Trojans to set fire to the horse to ensure it was not a trick. Athena, angry with him and the Trojans, shook the ground around Laocoön’s feet and painfully blinded him. The Trojans, watching this unfold, assumed Laocoön was punished for the Trojans’ mutilating and doubting Sinon, the undercover Greek soldier sent to convince the Trojans to let him and the horse inside their city walls. Thus, the Trojans wheeled the great wooden Horse in. Laocoön did not give up trying to convince the Trojans to burn the horse, and Athena made him pay even further. She sent two giant sea serpents to strangle and kill him and his two sons.”

 

As you can see in the image above, all three arms are raised up.

Below is an image of a 1960 Restoration of the same statue. Spot the difference?

 

 

WHY?

Why saw off three perfectly good arms? Does that make sense to you?

As ‘the story’ goes…the new piece of arm that was attached to the central figure was FOUND in a Vatican storeroom and expertly, absolutely, without any doubts-whatsoever, proclaimed as the ORIGINAL arm.

Trouble was, they (the super-duper restorers) had to saw off part of the snake to fit the right piece of arm on.

Then, I guess, they got bored of being so brilliant, went out for a bite to eat and completely forgot to find and restore both of Laocoön’s sons’ arms.

Madness!

Barking Madness!

False. Fake. F(Ph)oney

Whatever.