The first autumn days of September allow us to immerse ourselves, albeit briefly, in the vast wilderness of ancient art from the territory of Bulgaria. To what am I referring? In the following lines, I will briefly tell you about two temporary exhibitions that you can enjoy on some of your days off, as I did. The exhibitions were opened in August at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia, with a focus on two of the most intriguing archaeological discoveries of 2024.
The exhibition “One Head Taller. The second statue of Heraclea Sintica” can be visited until the end of September.
The central place in it is occupied by the restored marble sculpture of a young man, which originates from the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica. Perhaps a large part of the audience is familiar with the story of its discovery, as reflected in detail in the media last year – within a few months, two identical in iconography, but different in style, statues of men were found in an unfinished canal, close to each other. The first sculpture is already part of the permanent exhibition at the Historical Museum in Petrich and also deserves to be seen.
Photo: E. Anastasova
As for the so-called second statue, only the body was initially revealed, and later, not far from it, its head was found. Thanks to the restoration and conservation efforts, we can now get an idea of the overall appearance of the monument, with a height close to natural height.
In addition to its high artistic qualities and craftsmanship, the second statue provides insight into ancient restoration techniques, as evident in the crack on one of its legs. Detailed information about the individual stages of restoration that the marble figure has undergone in recent days is available from posters located in the neighbourhood. The complete restoration of the sculpture has restored its former splendour – anyone who has visited the exhibition can see this.
The next exhibition, entitled “The Splendour of Hellenistic Gold. The Lord of Sakar”, returns us several centuries back.
It impresses the viewer with precisely crafted objects from the late Hellenistic period, originating from the Thracian tomb near the village of Kapitan Petko Voyvoda. Among the funeral gifts are the following gold objects: a wreath, a necklace and massive bracelets decorated with semi-precious stones; a ring and a fibula.
From the same mound come more iron spearheads, an inlaid knife, two swords of different sizes, as well as a golden helmet, applications and beads, part of a horse harness.
The exhibited gold jewellery and monuments of armament allow us to gain an idea of the riches and grandeur of Hellenism, and at the same time complement our understanding of ancient art in our lands.
