This bearded male figure was originally part of a large statue. He is dressed in a chiton and a himation which covers his bent right arm. On the head he wears a conical cap of Syrian type, beneath which the hair falls on the nape of the neck. Similar statues have been found in various Cypriot sanctuaries (primarily at Golgoi and Pyla but also at Idalion, Arsos and Kition) where they were offered as ex-votos. This statue is thought to represent a priest or a religious official. The Cypriots began to produce large-size statues in clay and stone in the 7th c. BC. Since marble is not native in Cyprus, they used the local soft limestone that abounds in the southern part of the island. Statues of the period are frequently decorated in vivid colours (red, black etc.). Cypriot terracotta statuettes and large limestone sculptures have been found also in Greek sanctuaries, notably the Heraion on Samos and the sanctuary of Athena at Lindos on Rhodes. For several centuries Cypriot sculpture was an amalgam of local traits and foreign influences. The earlier examples were obviously influenced by the monumental sculptural styles of the Near East and Egypt: they had massive bodies and pronounced facial features (prominent nose, projecting lips and eyes, big ears). From the end of the 6th c. BC, however, the Cypriot sculptors gradually adopted stylistic trends from Greek art, creating works that display attention to anatomical detail and refinement in expression.