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The Curse of Anahit
By Mano Sakayan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/07/18/the-curse-of-anahit/
July 18, 2013
Once considered the `glory of our nation' by King Trdat III, the
Armenian goddess Anahit has recently been revived through the
continuing struggle to `bring her back home' to Armenia. Historians
and scribes have identified her with her Greek counterparts, Aphrodite
or Artemis. She was the vivifier of the Armenian nation, as well as
the symbol of chastity, motherhood, and wisdom. According to
tradition, St. Gregory the Illuminator was sent to a pit on the Ararat
plain by King Trdat III for refusing to place a wreath before her
golden statue. As the nation was Christianized, many of the
pre-Christian deities and festivals became a thing of the past, and
the church became a vital part of the national identity.
anahit1 300x300 The Curse of Anahit
Currently, the head of the bronze gilded statue of the goddess dwells
in a glass box in the British Museum in London.
Currently, the head of the bronze gilded statue of the goddess dwells
in a glass box in the British Museum in London. Her description reads:
`Bronze head of a goddess, probably Aphrodite.' To the museum, she is
another head in a sea of statues and busts of ancient deities from all
around the globe. To Armenians, she is Anahit, a symbol of a nation
and its long-lost traditions. The bust is featured on Armenian
banknotes, stamps, and coins. A television opinion poll claims that
she is better known than the country's state emblem. If asked, many
Armenians most likely assume that the head, and a companion hand, are
in Armenia.
Last year, Gevorg Martirosyan, a student at the University of
California, Irvine launched a petition asking the British Museum to
return the fragments of Anahit's statue to Armenia. In his petition,
he wrote that according to the British Museum's website, the fragments
(head and hand) of Anahit's bronze statue were accidently discovered
in 1872 by a farmer digging the land in Satagh or Satala in
southeastern Turkey. The head made its way via Constantinople and
Italy to the dealer Alessandro Castellani, who eventually sold it to
the British Museum. The hand was given to the museum years later.
Martirosyan's petition has garnered more than 2,000 signatures and the
support of members of the diaspora and citizens of Armenia. On March
7, 2012, a mass of young people gathered in front of the British
Embassy in Yerevan and held posters of the goddess chanting, `Anahit,
come home!' The protesters also presented Ambassador Katherine Leach
with a petition of 20,000 signatures and a letter of gratitude to the
United Kingdom for keeping an eye on the goddess; yet, the letter also
asserted that `historical justice requires [that the statue's head and
hand] be repatriated and find refuge in the country of their origin.'
The British Museum has agreed to a temporary exhibition of Anahit in
Armenia, as stated by the British Embassy. When this was first
announced, Armenian Education Minister Armen Ashotyan called the
exhibition a `first step' in what he predicted would be `years of
consistent work and efforts [that] will result in the permanent return
of this highly important relic of ours.' A year later, however, no
details of the exhibition have been released. Many experts in Armenia,
such as Zhores Khachatryan, the head of the ancient archeology
department at the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the Academy
of Sciences, have cautioned that the Armenian origin of the statue has
yet to be proven. The figurine was unearthed near the location of a
Roman camp that was populated during the same era as the creation of
the statue.
It is important to note that the British Museum, which attracts around
six million visitors per year, is highly accessible to tourists and
visitors who want to see the goddess. And, more importantly, entry to
the museum is still free. The statue's display in the British Museum
puts it in a European artistic milieu and perspective, along with
several other works of art from that region and era in human history.
This allows parallels to be drawn with the art of other cultures.
Hence, the British Museum brings the goddess's head and hand far more
potential attention and care than any museum in Yerevan could.
On the other hand, supporters of the campaign, and particularly
Martirosyan, state that presenting the remnants of Anahit in their
original historical and cultural environment would permit their fuller
understanding and interpretation. Still, the Republic of Armenia does
not possess any legal claim on the relic, as it was not discovered in
Armenia nor was it illegally exported from our lands. Proving the
bust's Armenian origin once and for all is what matters for many at
the moment; then, the campaign to return the goddess can resume.
Conversely, it is no secret that museums are acquisitive and meeting
all restitution claims would render the majority of them void of the
artifacts they proudly display. Thus, it is improbable that the
British Museum will return the goddess to Armenia. After all, the
Greeks have had their share of feuds with the same museum over the
return of the Elgin Marbles, which were removed from the Acropolis in
Athens by the British in 18th-century Ottoman Greece, back to Athens.
Mano Sakayan is from Beirut, Lebanon, and is studying economics and
international relations at Boston University (BU). He is active in the
BU Armenian Students' Association (ASA) and BU International Affairs
Association. He is fluent in Arabic, Armenian, English, French, and
Turkish.
Sources
Hacikyan, A. J., Gabriel Basmajian, Edward S. Franchuk, and Nourhan
Ouzounian. The Heritage of Armenian Literature. Detroit: Wayne State
UP, 2002.
See http://greengopost.com/aphrodite-statue-british-museum/
See http://www.change.org/petitions/uk-secretary-of-culture-return-the-fragments-of-armenian-pagan-goddess-anahit-s-statue-to-armenia
See http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423
See http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_head_of_a_goddess.aspx
From: A. Papazian
By Mano Sakayan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/07/18/the-curse-of-anahit/
July 18, 2013
Once considered the `glory of our nation' by King Trdat III, the
Armenian goddess Anahit has recently been revived through the
continuing struggle to `bring her back home' to Armenia. Historians
and scribes have identified her with her Greek counterparts, Aphrodite
or Artemis. She was the vivifier of the Armenian nation, as well as
the symbol of chastity, motherhood, and wisdom. According to
tradition, St. Gregory the Illuminator was sent to a pit on the Ararat
plain by King Trdat III for refusing to place a wreath before her
golden statue. As the nation was Christianized, many of the
pre-Christian deities and festivals became a thing of the past, and
the church became a vital part of the national identity.
anahit1 300x300 The Curse of Anahit
Currently, the head of the bronze gilded statue of the goddess dwells
in a glass box in the British Museum in London.
Currently, the head of the bronze gilded statue of the goddess dwells
in a glass box in the British Museum in London. Her description reads:
`Bronze head of a goddess, probably Aphrodite.' To the museum, she is
another head in a sea of statues and busts of ancient deities from all
around the globe. To Armenians, she is Anahit, a symbol of a nation
and its long-lost traditions. The bust is featured on Armenian
banknotes, stamps, and coins. A television opinion poll claims that
she is better known than the country's state emblem. If asked, many
Armenians most likely assume that the head, and a companion hand, are
in Armenia.
Last year, Gevorg Martirosyan, a student at the University of
California, Irvine launched a petition asking the British Museum to
return the fragments of Anahit's statue to Armenia. In his petition,
he wrote that according to the British Museum's website, the fragments
(head and hand) of Anahit's bronze statue were accidently discovered
in 1872 by a farmer digging the land in Satagh or Satala in
southeastern Turkey. The head made its way via Constantinople and
Italy to the dealer Alessandro Castellani, who eventually sold it to
the British Museum. The hand was given to the museum years later.
Martirosyan's petition has garnered more than 2,000 signatures and the
support of members of the diaspora and citizens of Armenia. On March
7, 2012, a mass of young people gathered in front of the British
Embassy in Yerevan and held posters of the goddess chanting, `Anahit,
come home!' The protesters also presented Ambassador Katherine Leach
with a petition of 20,000 signatures and a letter of gratitude to the
United Kingdom for keeping an eye on the goddess; yet, the letter also
asserted that `historical justice requires [that the statue's head and
hand] be repatriated and find refuge in the country of their origin.'
The British Museum has agreed to a temporary exhibition of Anahit in
Armenia, as stated by the British Embassy. When this was first
announced, Armenian Education Minister Armen Ashotyan called the
exhibition a `first step' in what he predicted would be `years of
consistent work and efforts [that] will result in the permanent return
of this highly important relic of ours.' A year later, however, no
details of the exhibition have been released. Many experts in Armenia,
such as Zhores Khachatryan, the head of the ancient archeology
department at the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the Academy
of Sciences, have cautioned that the Armenian origin of the statue has
yet to be proven. The figurine was unearthed near the location of a
Roman camp that was populated during the same era as the creation of
the statue.
It is important to note that the British Museum, which attracts around
six million visitors per year, is highly accessible to tourists and
visitors who want to see the goddess. And, more importantly, entry to
the museum is still free. The statue's display in the British Museum
puts it in a European artistic milieu and perspective, along with
several other works of art from that region and era in human history.
This allows parallels to be drawn with the art of other cultures.
Hence, the British Museum brings the goddess's head and hand far more
potential attention and care than any museum in Yerevan could.
On the other hand, supporters of the campaign, and particularly
Martirosyan, state that presenting the remnants of Anahit in their
original historical and cultural environment would permit their fuller
understanding and interpretation. Still, the Republic of Armenia does
not possess any legal claim on the relic, as it was not discovered in
Armenia nor was it illegally exported from our lands. Proving the
bust's Armenian origin once and for all is what matters for many at
the moment; then, the campaign to return the goddess can resume.
Conversely, it is no secret that museums are acquisitive and meeting
all restitution claims would render the majority of them void of the
artifacts they proudly display. Thus, it is improbable that the
British Museum will return the goddess to Armenia. After all, the
Greeks have had their share of feuds with the same museum over the
return of the Elgin Marbles, which were removed from the Acropolis in
Athens by the British in 18th-century Ottoman Greece, back to Athens.
Mano Sakayan is from Beirut, Lebanon, and is studying economics and
international relations at Boston University (BU). He is active in the
BU Armenian Students' Association (ASA) and BU International Affairs
Association. He is fluent in Arabic, Armenian, English, French, and
Turkish.
Sources
Hacikyan, A. J., Gabriel Basmajian, Edward S. Franchuk, and Nourhan
Ouzounian. The Heritage of Armenian Literature. Detroit: Wayne State
UP, 2002.
See http://greengopost.com/aphrodite-statue-british-museum/
See http://www.change.org/petitions/uk-secretary-of-culture-return-the-fragments-of-armenian-pagan-goddess-anahit-s-statue-to-armenia
See http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423
See http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_head_of_a_goddess.aspx
From: A. Papazian