The Helgö Treasure: Bronze Buddha Statue, Coptic Scoop And A Crozier Depicting Biblical Tale Of Jonah

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - A remarkable collection of religious items from diverse lands was unearthed during archaeological excavations on the Swedish island of Helgö in 1954.

Located in Lake Mälaren (Malaren), west of Stockholm, the island was an important Viking trading and manufacturing center (6th-11th centuries AD. The first archaeological dig uncovered the remains of the early settlement, including a workshop area.

Helgo Buddha Image credit: Swedish History Museum

An extensive collection of artifacts –Helgö Treasures - includes Arabic coins, Frankish glass, and metalwork across western Europe. Still, the most notable finds from these excavations included a small Buddha figurine from North India, the Coptic scoop from North Africa dating to the 6th century, and a crozier.

The figure of Buddha is slim, with crossed legs, and he sits on a throne designed as a double lotus flower. His right hand rests on the knee, in the left, which is slightly stretched.

The figurine, probably made in Kashmir, on the Pakistan/India border, had remnants of a narrow leather strap wrapped around the neck and left arm. Something that may indicate that it is stored or buried hanging as a talisman by merchant traders.

Historians hypothesize that the Buddha was carried over thousands of miles, up and down the rivers and across the vast steppes of Eurasia, before arriving at a Viking home in Sweden, perhaps after two or three hundred years of travel.

The Buddha has a silver urn on his forehead, symbolizing the third eye, while the ears have long lobes, symbolizing royalty. He sits in a meditative pose upon a double lotus throne, the latter representing purity, rebirth, and divinity.

The Helgö Crozier

The Helgö crozier is believed to be of Irish (or British) origin.

A crozier from the island of Helgö, Lake Mälaren, Sweden

The artifact would have formed part of a bishop's staff carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and others. Dating about 700-800 AD, the crozier is made of bronze and is decorated with enamel, colored (primarily blue) glass inlays, and has a kind of decorative cut in geometric patterns.

The artifact depicts the biblical tale of Jonah trapped in the mouth of a whale or sea monster. The upper part of the crozier is formed as a winding dragon or a beast. A man's face is also visible between the jaws in the gap. The motif tells the story of Jonah, thrown up from the belly of the animal, symbolizing rebirth.

Although the motif is the same on both sides, the design differs. On one side, the dragon's body (or whalefish) has been given a herringbone-like pattern made in carving. On the other side, the body has been given inlays of small green and yellow enamel pieces.

Even Jonah looks different. He has a forehead and an open, gaping mouth on one side. On the other side, his hairstyle and mouth are different. It has been suggested that one side shows when Jonah is swallowed and the other when the creature vomits him out onto the shore. Why has the artist chosen to do so? 

Bronze Coptic Scoop

The third object from the Helgo treasure is a bronze spoon that originates from North Africa, probably in the vicinity of modern-day Egypt. Decorated in minor punch marks, which define a Tree of Life symbol, the artifact was most likely used in ceremonies associated with the early Coptic church.

The scoop consists of a deep bowl and a flat, upright handle. Around the bowl's outer rim and over the handle are decorations of circles, filled triangles, and zick-zack lines.
The bowl's front portion, which is partially damaged, is adorned with plant ornamentation in the form of a so-called life tree.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on March 9, 2023

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