Neikais
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Mug in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (X.21.186)
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Neikais (alternative spelling Neikaios , ancient Greek Νεικαις or ancient Greek Νεικαιος ) was an ancient glass producer in Roman times .
Neikais probably owned a glassworks that produced blown glass. If the name had to be added to Neikaios, it would be a man. If in the surviving inscriptions the spelling of the name is correct, then the person was female. Like the other glass producers Meges and Jason , it produced it in his glassworks in the tradition of the even more capable masters Ennion and Aristeas . Neikais probably took over the signing of the works from Ennion.
Although the foundations of most of the pieces are barely certain - not one of the completely preserved vessels can be assigned to a place of discovery with certainty - one can assume that the hut is located in the Syrian-Palestinian region and that the production time was in the middle decades of the first century dating is. The finds show the green-yellowish tint typical of the room and the typical weathered layer. The congratulatory and victory cups , which are similar in terms of glass quality, weathering and type of inscriptions, and some of which come from established contexts, serve as a dating aid .
At least five signed cups and fragments by Neikais - her works are classified as Hardern Group D - have been preserved and published. They were all found in the east of the former Roman Empire. However, only one shard found in Masada comes from a secured find context , which also secures an antequem dating through the mass suicide of the Zealots in the year 73 or 74 . She signed with the inscription ΝΕΙΚΑΙϹ ΕΠΟΗϹΕΝ ΜΝΗϹΘΗ Ο ΑΓΟΡΑϹΑϹ NEIKAIS EPOESEN MNESTHE HO AGORASAS , in German 'Naikais made it - remembrance of the buyer' .
The status of the neikai is unclear. It is probably the owner of the hut in which the preserved pieces were made. If it was a man, chances are he was also actively involved in production. A woman in active glass blowing, on the other hand, would be very unlikely. In this case, she would probably not be the creator of the preserved vessels herself, but only the owner of the production facility.
Web links
literature
- Axel von Saldern : Antique glass (= handbook of archeology ). CH Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-51994-6 , especially pp. 231–247.
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Neikais |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Neikaios; Νεικαις (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | antique glass producer in Roman times |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1st century BC BC or 1st century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st century or 2nd century |