The Gold NIKE of Varna
In
Greek pronounced "Nee kay"
The
Greek goddess Nike personifies victory. According to the poet Hesiod,
she was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the Oceanid Styx
. She had three very powerful siblings: Zelos
(Rivalry), Kratos (Strength), and Bia (Force).
NIKE
was not just a symbol of military victory but also in athletic contests
and a symbol of beauty, frequently a subject in Greek art.
The
beautiful goddess must have been an awe-inspiring sight, appearing to
drift from the sky and land gracefully, wings still hovering in the air,
draperies moving in the wind and revealing the elegant body underneath.
The
Pearl of the Varna Gold Treasure
The Goddess NIKE has been the subject of many craftsmen and artists of
the ancient world. Many artifacts are kept in museums around the world
but complete objects are a rarity. The archeaological museum in Varna
houses one of the oldest known gold treasures. The pearl of the treasure
is a pair of immaculately preserved earrings crafted in the image of the
winged goddess of victory. The earrings were gound in a tomb of a
wealthy woman from Odesos (Varna's ancient greek name). The detail and
precision of the gold work is breathtaking despite being made over 24
centuries ago.
The fastenings are delicately ornated disks, and the earrings are a
perfect mirror image of each other so as to fit both ears.
NIKE is depicted semi-naked. With the aid of a magnifying glass it is hard
to miss the detailed knee and elbow joints and the fine cloth covering her
body. Even the face suggests a sly smile, while she seems to be flying
effortlessly. The anonymous craftsman has not missed out the
detail on the fingers of the hands, the sandals on her feet as well as the
almost real feathery wings. And
all that is just a few cm across.
A
world heritage
The specimen is unmatched in museums around the world, in terms of
completeness and gold craftsmanship. Statuets of NIKE are found in British
Museum in London as well as Paris' Louvre, but the gold NIKE OF VARNA is a
world one off.
Thanks
to: Mariana Doncheva
Katia Sokolova
Rosen Donev
Source: Аrcheaology
Museum Varna
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