Why do many ancient Greek and Roman statues not include detailed eyes, and instead have blank areas where the pupil and iris should be?

by 3oons
Regalecus

Because they were painted. That's as simple as it is. The paint has worn off over time, but there are statues with some residue remaining that shows how brightly colored they once were. You can find tons of photos of reconstructions, and you can also see non-reconstructions that still have some paint remaining.