What does 'NIKAT' mean on this statue of a Spartan?
August 11, 2013 9:15 AM Subscribe
There is a statue in the Milwaukee art museum titled "The Last of the Spartans". It depicts a dying soldier writing the word "NIKAT" on his shield, presumably as his last act before succumbing to his injuries. What does NIKAT mean?
The sculptor was an Italian-American, if that helps. There are some definitions for the word online, but they don't fit as they seem to be from various Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but could it be an Italian transliteration?
Here is a catalog listing for the statue.
The sculptor was an Italian-American, if that helps. There are some definitions for the word online, but they don't fit as they seem to be from various Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but could it be an Italian transliteration?
Here is a catalog listing for the statue.
According to this old newspaper article it is supposed to mean "I have conquered" in Greek.
I'm not really sure that is right though. Someone who knows ancient Greek will come along and tell us.
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:34 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm not really sure that is right though. Someone who knows ancient Greek will come along and tell us.
posted by interplanetjanet at 9:34 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not that I know any serious Greek, but some kind of connection to victory or conquest looks likely (cf Athena Nike). Here is a translation of a Greek sentence where Nikat seems to be used in this sense.
I am sure the philologists of MeFi will wake soon.
posted by themel at 9:36 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am sure the philologists of MeFi will wake soon.
posted by themel at 9:36 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
interplanetjanet and themei, that looks pretty likely. My answer was just a guess, assuming that it was some translation of the epitaph that matched NIKAT as an abbreviation.
posted by orthicon halo at 9:39 AM on August 11, 2013
posted by orthicon halo at 9:39 AM on August 11, 2013
Best answer: It's difficult to see the final t in any of the photographs (e.g. http://milwaukeeartmuseum.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/img_0160.jpg).
If it's nika (no t), it could be the Doric form of the noun victory (since the Spartans spoke a Doric dialect of greek), or it could an imperative ("conquer!").
If it is nikat, it might be an abbreviation for nikate, the plural imperative ("you all conquer!) or plural indicative ("you all are conquering").
It's not "I have conquered," which would be nenikeka or less properly enikesa.
Hard to see an immediate connection to the Simonides epigram.
posted by dd42 at 10:04 AM on August 11, 2013 [6 favorites]
If it's nika (no t), it could be the Doric form of the noun victory (since the Spartans spoke a Doric dialect of greek), or it could an imperative ("conquer!").
If it is nikat, it might be an abbreviation for nikate, the plural imperative ("you all conquer!) or plural indicative ("you all are conquering").
It's not "I have conquered," which would be nenikeka or less properly enikesa.
Hard to see an immediate connection to the Simonides epigram.
posted by dd42 at 10:04 AM on August 11, 2013 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Did you happen to ask anyone at the museum? If you didn't get a chance to, I can stop by this afternoon and ask around.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:49 AM on August 11, 2013
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:49 AM on August 11, 2013
Best answer: It's always possible the sculptor didn't know ancient Greek either and meant it to say I have conquered but got it wrong. Like people who get tattoos in languages they don't speak and spell them wrong.
posted by interplanetjanet at 11:06 AM on August 11, 2013
posted by interplanetjanet at 11:06 AM on August 11, 2013
Best answer: Here's the catalog to the Layton Collection (which used to own it) from 1921 that says it means "I conquer"
posted by interplanetjanet at 11:16 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by interplanetjanet at 11:16 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I didn't ask around but it certainly seemed to be a T. The letter was unfinished, so I guess it could have been an I or another letter that has the 'top' of a T.
Some amazing answers here, thank you.
posted by :-) at 11:36 AM on August 11, 2013
Some amazing answers here, thank you.
posted by :-) at 11:36 AM on August 11, 2013
Best answer: So one relevant detail is that classical inscriptions and manuscripts used a lot of abbreviations. I'm pretty sure that that's what's going on here.
In the Byzantine inscription at themel's link, it's clear that NIKAT is meant as an abbreviation for nikate. (Though I think here it should be read as an optative plural, not an imperative. It's a verb in -aô, so the second person plural indicative, imperative and optative forms are all the same, but the optative makes the most sense here in context, since the sentence expresses a wish.) The full inscription is EN TOUTO NIKAT BASILEI ET CONST, which they translate as "may you win with this Basil and Constantine." (Note that Constantine's name also gets abbreviated.)
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:50 PM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
In the Byzantine inscription at themel's link, it's clear that NIKAT is meant as an abbreviation for nikate. (Though I think here it should be read as an optative plural, not an imperative. It's a verb in -aô, so the second person plural indicative, imperative and optative forms are all the same, but the optative makes the most sense here in context, since the sentence expresses a wish.) The full inscription is EN TOUTO NIKAT BASILEI ET CONST, which they translate as "may you win with this Basil and Constantine." (Note that Constantine's name also gets abbreviated.)
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:50 PM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Now there are two. There are two _______.: "(Though I think here it should be read as an optative plural, not an imperative. It's a verb in -aô, so the second person plural indicative, imperative and optative forms are all the same"
alpha-contracts are identical in the 2nd-person plural for the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive, not optative (optative here would be ΝΙΚΩΙΤΕ) (smyth #385). I agree a wish would be appropriate, but I think not possible given the form.
posted by dd42 at 1:07 PM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
alpha-contracts are identical in the 2nd-person plural for the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive, not optative (optative here would be ΝΙΚΩΙΤΕ) (smyth #385). I agree a wish would be appropriate, but I think not possible given the form.
posted by dd42 at 1:07 PM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Damn. Okay, imperative it is.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 5:52 PM on August 11, 2013
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 5:52 PM on August 11, 2013
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posted by orthicon halo at 9:29 AM on August 11, 2013 [1 favorite]