Wardrobe Malfunction, FIFA world cup, Las Vegas Audio Guide# 9341 (in French: Victoire de Samothrace) C. 190 BC, from Island of Samothrace (northern Aegean) Location: Denon wing, Ground floor, Victory of Samothrace staircase, Escalier Daru  Head removed prior to her recertification test for IFR (Instrument Flying, i.e. flying blind in zero or low visibility) in a Class A airspace (18,000 feet and above) using navigational systems including GPS but with AutoPilot disabled*. Micro guide: This amazing ancient Greek large statue of Nike (shoes named after her) celebrates a naval victory about 200 BC. Standing on the front (the prow) of a ship sculpture, like Leo diCaprio in Titanic. she has wings, is topless and her clothes billow realistically in the "wind," later copied endlessly by Romans, ancient Christians, the FIFA trophy and Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas! Nike's like a 3D puzzle, made of many pieces of marble. Arms and head are lost but she may have cupped her mouth to shout "Woooohoo!"*. A hand has one finger extended, guess which one*? Lazily made* to be seen from the left, the rest of her is not as well made. It was found in 1863 in Samothrace, Greece about the time Lincoln was Prez, the US Civil War and the Suez Canal opened. In 1999, the Samothracians wanted Nike back, so the French sent a nice metal replica. The Greeks said "pfui!", spat on it* and buried it in a field. More info: What's genius is that Nike includes the wind and the space around her, which had never been done before. The huge wings were cantilevered (balanced) in slots in the statue with no external support, which was pretty dope physics for the day. Nike used to be in the remotest part of a Sanctuary with many buildings with many Gods and people came from all over. It had a roof, which is why it's in pretty good condition -- for someone without a head or hands. The ancient Greeks saw tons of naval battles between the kingdoms created after Alexander the Great as they fought to control the Aegean Sea, which is now a tourist paradise. * Stuff we made up: Nike didn't practise flying blind and she had no GPS; she was a Goddess!! Also, it wasn't her middle finger -- you've a dirty mind! The sculptor wasn't lazy, that's just how they did it -- only the parts seen were made in detail. Sometimes the tops had a lot of detail, the part that God would see. Wow. We don't know if the Samothracians spit on the replica -- but they should have.  lThe hand. For real. Fun facts. During WW-II, she was kept in safety in a chateau with Venus de Milo and Michelangelo's Slaves. They all became good friends and still sometimes go get some Mojitos after a hard day of work at the Louvre -- standing still for hours takes a lot of effort. Her right wing is a fake, a mirror image of the left wing. Nike, the $15 billion company, hasn't donated a ($0.10) to the statue's repair and restoration. Boring. Not that you care, but the sculptor is supposedly Pythokritos of Rhodes, but these things change all the time. One wing is a copy of the other, the original lost.  Nike's two types of clothes, the breezy dress and the cloak, both with belts, both fallen to her waist. Whoopsie, wardrobe malfunction..  Arms and prow might have looked like this. "Paraparaaaa!!" Backstory: This ancient Greek statue of Nike (shoes named after her) celebrates a naval victory against the egyptians in 255 BC. Standing on the front of a ship , like Leo&Rose in Titanic, she has wings, is topless and her clothes billow realistically in the "wind," - a theme later copied endlessly by Romans, ancient Christians, even the FIFA trophy and Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas! Nike's like a 3D puzzle, made of many pieces of marble, her arms and head are lost, her hand has one finger extended, guess which one? (Joke) She's made to be seen from the left, the rest of her is not as well made. Discovery: The statue was found in 1863 in Samothrace, Greece by a local farmer and a French naval officer about the time Lincoln was President, the US Civil War and the Suez Canal opened. In 1999, the Samothracians wanted Nike back, so the French sent a nice metal replica instead. The Greeks said "pfui!", spat on it* and buried it in a field. The statue was made when: Han dynasty began in China (The Chinese call themselves "Han", a name derived from this dynasty), paper is invented in China, Hannibal crosses the Alps with war elephants and gets defeated by the Romans and the Mayan cities in Central America flourish. More info: What's genius is that Nike includes the wind and the space around her, which had never been done before. The huge wings were balanced in slots in the statue with no external support, which was pretty dope physics for the day. Nike used to be in the remotest part of a Sanctuary with many buildings and Gods, but people came from all over to see Nike. The Sanctuary had a roof, which is why Nike is in pretty good condition -- for someone without a head or hands. Holiday paradise: The ancient Greeks saw tons of naval battles between the kingdoms created after Alexander the Great as they fought to control the Aegean Sea, which is now a tourist paradise. |