Pompeii Lakshmi
 An ivory statuette of Lakshmi (1st century CE) found in the ruins of Pompeii (destroyed in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE) | |
| Material | ivory |
|---|---|
| Height | 24.5 cm (9 1⁄2 in) |
| Discovered |
ca. 1930–1938 Pompeii |
| Present location | Secret Museum, Naples |
| Identification | 149425 |
The Pompeii Lakshmi is an Indian ivory statuette that was discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in the 1930s. Originally, it was thought that the statuette represented the goddess Lakshmi, a goddess of fertility, beauty and wealth, revered by Hindus and Jains.[1] However, the iconography reveals that the figure is more likely to depict a yakshi, a female tree spirit that represents fertility.
The figure is now in the Secret Museum in the Naples National Archaeological Museum.[2]
Discovery
The statuette was discovered in a small house on Via dell'Abbondanza in the ruins of Pompeii. The house is now called "House of the Indian statuette".[1][3] The year of the discovery is variously given as between 1930 and 1935,[2] and in 1938.[1]
The statuette is nearly naked apart from her lavish jewels. She has two female attendants, one facing outward on each side, holding cosmetics containers.[1]
The existence of this statuette in Pompeii by 79 CE, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city, testifies to the intensity of Indo-Roman trade relations during the 1st century CE.[1][3] This statuette has been dated by the Naples National Archaeological Museum as having been created in India in the first half of that century.[2]
Origin
It was initially assumed that the statuette had been produced at Mathura, but it is now thought that its place of production was Bhokardan since two identical figurines were discovered there.[4] The statuette has a round hole in the top of its head. A number of theories have been propounded as to the purpose of the hole: one is that the statuette served as the handle of an object,[2] and another is that it formed one leg of a carved ivory tripod table from the kingdom of the Satavahanas.[5]
The Western Kshatrapas under king Nahapana invaded the Satavahana realm for 50 years between approximately 25 CE and 75 CE.[6] There is therefore a distinct possibility that the Pompeii Lakshmi was looted and sent to the West by the Western Satraps for purpose of trade. The Western Satraps are known from the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea to have had intense commercial contacts with the Roman Empire around that time.[7]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pompeii Lakshmi. |
- 1 2 3 4 5 Beard, Mary (2010). Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town. Profile Books. p. 24.
- 1 2 3 4 "Lakshmi". Museo Archeologico Napoli. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- 1 2 De Albentiis, Emidio; Foglia, Alfredo (2009). Secrets of Pompeii: Everyday Life in Ancient Rome. Getty Publications. p. 43.
- ↑ Dhavalikar, M. K. (1999). "Chapter 4: Maharashatra: Environmental and Historical Process". In Kulkarni, A. R.; Wagle, N. K. Region, Nationality and Religion. Popular Prakashan. p. 46.
- ↑ Butterworth, Alex; Laurence, Ray (2011). Pompeii. Hachette UK. p. 36.
- ↑ Higham, Charles (2014). Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations. Infobase Publishing. p. 299.
- ↑ The Voyage around the Erythraean Sea, translation with commentary, Chap 41, 48 and 49