The Artemis bust, highlighted as one of the rarest artifacts in the world due to its material and original paint, is being preserved and showcased at the Bolu Museum for future generations.
The museum, which houses a rich collection of marble, glass, metal and fired clay artifacts from the Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Phrygian, Urartian, Lydian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as numerous objects from the Ottoman Era, offers visitors a journey through history. Among its extensive collection, the painted Artemis bust has captured significant attention from visitors.
Discovered in the 1970s during construction work in Akpınar District, the approximately 2,000-year-old bust was identified as depicting the Greek goddess Artemis. Its original painting, which has survived to this day, adds to its uniqueness and historical importance.
The Bolu Chamber of Commerce and Industry has commissioned a 3D model of the bust to help increase its visibility and significance. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the artifact, showcasing its exceptional preservation.
Gül Karaüzüm Yıldız, assistant director of the Bolu Museum, emphasized the immense value of the Artemis bust, both for Bolu and for Türkiye as a whole. She noted that while many museums in Anatolia feature statues, very few have preserved the original paint on their sculptures. The Artemis bust is particularly notable for retaining its vibrant colors, making it a rare and valuable piece.
Yıldız explained that in ancient times, statues were not the colorless figures we see today in museums. Instead, their hair, clothing and faces were painted. The preserved traces of makeup on their faces also highlight this. This painted bust is considered valuable due to its colorful preservation. Moreover, the quality of the marble used in its creation adds to its significance. It is the first known statue of the goddess Artemis found in Bolu, further enhancing its historical importance.
Hakan Ulutürk, an archaeologist at the Bolu Museum, elaborated on the technical aspects of the bust, particularly its polychromy – the technique of painting sculptures with multiple colors. While such works were common in the Roman period, very few examples have survived with their original paint intact.
The bust was created using the "ganosis" technique, a method of polishing marble statues to preserve their painted or smooth surfaces. Ulutürk explained that ganosis involves applying beeswax in various ways to protect the statue's coloring. This technique was widely used in Roman and Greek sculptures but has rarely survived intact through the centuries. The Artemis bust stands out because its original paint has been preserved in its entirety, making it an exceptionally rare artifact.
Ulutürk further discussed the preservation of the bust, attributing its survival to the conditions in which it was stored. The bust was likely kept in a covered environment, which helped protect its colors from fading over time. Additionally, the high-quality application of the preservation technique may have contributed to the longevity of its paint.
