How an Ancient Greek Helmet Ended up in South Korea
Did you know that a Greek bronze helmet estimated to have been made in the 6th century BC is a government-recognized national treasure in South Korea? The helmet was a part of the artifacts discovered by Ernst Curtius, a German archaeologist, and his team in the Temple of the Olympian Zeus in Athens in 1875. How did this artifact from Greece end up in a country on the other side of the world?
In the early days of the Olympics up until the early 20th century, gold medalists would be given an ancient Greek artifact as a means to keep the event’s tie to the ancient Greek Olympics. The helmet was donated to the International Olympics Committee by Bradini, one of Greece’s largest media companies. The helmet was kept for the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and was to be gifted to the winner of the marathon race.
In 1936, a Korean man named Sohn Kee Jung, who ran under the Japanese Flag (as Korea was annexed by Japan two decades prior), took the world by surprise and won the gold medal in the Olympics marathon race. He set the world record at the time and became a source of pride for his homeland. According to the traditions of the Olympics, he was set to receive the helmet.
However, the German Olympics Committee refused to gift Sohn the helmet and decided to donate…
