Nike of Callimachus
| Year | 490 BC |
|---|---|
| Type | Marble |
| Dimensions | 468 cm (184 in) |
| Location | Acropolis Museum, Athens |
The Nike of Callimachus (Greek: Nίκη του Καλλιμάχου), is a statue that Athenians created in honor of the Callimachus.
History
Callimachus was the Athenian polemarch at the Battle of Marathon at 490 BC. He had the last vote and he voted in favour of a battle, when the 10 strategoi were split evenly on the matter.
He was killed at the battle and Athenians erected the statue for him.[1]
The statue was erected next to the Parthenon (not the Parthenon that we can see today, but the previous temple which destroyed by the Persians) on the Acropolis of Athens. The statue has been severely damaged by the Persians when a decade later (480 BC) conquered Athens. They burned and destroyed the city and its monuments, including the Nike of Callimachus (Perserschutt).
The statue
609-Kallimachos_dedication-1.JPG)
The statue depicts Nike (Victory), in the form of a draped woman with wings[2][3] running right, on top of an inscribed column. Its height is 4.68 meters and was made of Parian[4] or Pentelic marble. Some parts of the statue like the head, the hands and more were never recovered after the damage.
At the neck of the Nike there are nine holes. On these holes there was a jewelry. At one of her hand, she most probably held the caduceus.
The text of the inscription on the monument, was carved in two lines.[5] The monument is a rare example of a preserved dedicatory epigram, statue and base from the late arhaic period. Also, it provides the opportunity to read an early Greek epigram.[6]
The text on the column is this (the brackets is the text which is missing because of the destruction):
| line 1 | |
| [...]ΕΘΕΚΕΝ ΑΦΙΔΝΑΙΟ[...] ΤΑΘΕΝΑΙΑΙ | (Hexameter 1) |
| ΑΝ[...]ΑΝΑΤΟΝ ΗΟΙ Ο[...] ΕΧΟΣΙΝ | (Hexameter 2) |
| line 2 | |
| [. . .]ΜΑΡΧΟΣ ΑΘΕΝΑΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΟΝΑ | (Hexameter 3) |
| ΤΟΝ ΜΑ[ . . .]ΕΛΕΝΟΝΟ[. . .] | (Hexameter 4) |
| ΠΑΙΣΙΝ ΑΘΕΝΑΙΟΝ ΜΝ[ . . .] | (Hexameter 5) |
Below is the text that archaeologists managed to restore
| line 1 | |
| [ΚΑΛΛΙΜΑΧΟΣ Μ' ΑΝ]ΕΘΕΚΕΝ ΑΦΙΔΝΑΙΟ[Σ] ΤΑΘΕΝΑΙΑΙ | (Hexameter 1) |
| ΑΝ[ΓΕΛΟΝ ΑΘΑ]ΑΝΑΤΟΝ ΗΟΙ Ο[...] ΕΧΟΣΙΝ | (Hexameter 2) |
| line 2 | |
| [. . . ΠΟΛΕ]ΜΑΡΧΟΣ ΑΘΕΝΑΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΟΝΑ | (Hexameter 3) |
| ΤΟΝ ΜΑ[ . . .]ΕΛΕΝΟΝΟ[. . .] | (Hexameter 4) |
| ΠΑΙΣΙΝ ΑΘΕΝΑΙΟΝ ΜΝ[ . . .] | (Hexameter 5) |
Restoration
On October 26, 2010 after it was restored, it displayed to the public for the first time as a complete monument at the Acropolis Museum. The statue have been affixed to a metal column that holds the various parts in place and is built so that additional fragments can be attached if they are found. According to the curator of the new Acropolis Museum, the monument has been reconstructed in a modern fashion, using only the original shards in their correct positions, so that a visitor might be able to see the authentic version.
The unveiling of the Nike monument was among a series of events scheduled by the culture and tourism ministry of Greece to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary since the Battle of Marathon. During the unveiling of the statue the Greek minister stressed:
“Today we are not unveiling the monument of just another heroic general but a monument to a democratic process that changed the course of history."[7]
He also, reminded the words that Miltiades said to Callimachus just before the polemarch cast his vote:
“Everything now rests on you.”[8]
The statue is on display in the Archaic Monuments’ section of the Acropolis Museum. In the Museum in front of the original statue there is also a copy showing how the statue looked like when it was whole and undamaged.[4][9]
See also
References
- ↑ Herodotus Book 6: Erato, 114 "In this part of the work was slain the polemarch Callimachos after having proved himself a good man,..."
- ↑ Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (2014). The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (Oxford Companions). OUP Oxford. p. 546. ISBN 978-0198706779."She may have two or four wings. The Nike Of Archermus (supposedly the first to give Nike wings) and that of Callimachus are repsesentative."
- ↑ Pantermalis, Dimitris. www.snf.org (PDF). Dimitris Pantermalis President of the Acropolis Museum http://www.snf.org/media/2988270/2012-08-27-Pantermalis%20ENG.pdf. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Nike Monument Unveiled at Acropolis Museum". http://greece.greekreporter.com//''. 2010. Retrieved 2010.
- ↑ Baumbach, Manuel; Petrovic, Andrej; Petrovic, Ivana (January 2011). Archaic and Classical Greek Epigram. Cambridge University Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-0521118057.
- ↑ Baumbach, Manuel; Petrovic, Andrej; Petrovic, Ivana (January 2011). Archaic and Classical Greek Epigram. Cambridge University Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0521118057.
- ↑ "Η Νίκη του Καλλιμάχου αποκαλύπτεται 25 αιώνες μετά". http://www.kathimerini.gr/'' (in Greek). Kathimerini. 2010. Retrieved 2010.
- ↑ "Η Νίκη του Καλλιμάχου αποκαλύπτεται 25 αιώνες μετά". http://www.kathimerini.gr/'' (in Greek). Kathimerini. 2010. Retrieved 2010.
- ↑ "NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2010" (PDF). http://www.diathens.com/''. Det Danske Instituti Athens. Retrieved 2010.
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