(also Skopas). An ancient Greek sculptor and architect of the fourth century B.C. Representative of late classicism.

Scopas, who was born on the island of Paros, worked in Te-geum (now Piali), Halicarnassus (now Bodrum), and other cities of Greece and Asia Minor. His work as an architect included the construction of the Temple of Athena Alea in Te-geum (350–340 B.C.) and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (mid-fourth century B.C.). Of his surviving sculptural works the most important is a frieze at Halicarnassus that depicts the battle of the Amazons (mid-fourth century B.C., in collaboration with Bryaxis, Leochares, and Timotheus; fragments are in the British Museum, London). Numerous works by Scopas are known through Roman copies, for example, sculptures of Pothos, a young Heracles, Meleager and a maenad.

Rejecting the harmonious and tranquil treatment of the human figure characteristic of fifth-century art, Scopas strove to convey powerful psychological experiences and the conflict of passions. He used dynamic composition and new methods of rendering details, especially facial features. His sculptures have deeply sunken eyes, a wrinkled forehead, and a slightly open mouth.

Filled with drama, Scopas’ art exerted a great influence on the sculpture of the Hellenistic period, particularly on the works of third- and second-century masters working in the city of Pergamum.