Fragments of Hellenistic Bronze Statuary from Vani

Abstract

The ancient city-site of Vani, with its history spanning more than eight centuries, offers compelling testimony to the legendary “gold-rich Colchis,” particularly through the lavish Colchian goldsmithing artefacts unearthed in the opulent burials of the 5th–4th centuries B.C. In addition to these emblematic finds, Vani is remarkable for the rare abundance and diversity of Hellenistic bronze statuary fragments and sculptural representations discovered at the site. Recent technical analyses of the bronze fragments have opened new avenues for investigating Vani as the principal temple-city of Colchis during the 3rd–1st centuries B.C. The present study introduces an interpretive framework grounded in these material analyses, offering a re-evaluation of the archaeological context in which the bronze torso of a youth—arguably the most complete bronze statue yet discovered in Georgia—was uncovered within the so-called White Structure complex on the central terrace. The study examines the use of anthropomorphic bronze statuary and sculptural representations for religious purposes in the temple-city of Vani during the Hellenistic period.