A sculptural figure or representation of a person carrying a ram or sheep, common in ancient Mediterranean art.
From Greek kriophoros, combining krios (ram) and pherein (to carry). The term refers to a specific artistic motif found in ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Roman sculpture representing shepherds or religious figures.
Criophores appear across multiple ancient cultures—the image of a man carrying a ram became so symbolically powerful that it represented charity, piety, and pastoral virtue, and even influenced early Christian iconography of the Good Shepherd.
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