Archaeological artifact. Small ceramic figures about 30 centimeters high, naiskos statues were produced in ancient times by the people of planet Kurl. These statues were designed to be opened, revealing a multitude of similar but smaller figurines inside, representing the Kurlan belief that each person is made up of a community of individuals with different voices and desires. Although many ancient naiskos have been found by archaelogists, relatively few are intact, and fewer still have all the smaller figurines. Professor Richard Galen gave an intact Kurlan naiskos to his former student, Jean-Luc Picard. That particular artifact was even more prized because it was of the third Kurlan dynasty, made some 12,000 years ago by the Kurlan artisan known only as the Master of Tarquin Hill.  In later episodes, Picard's Kurlan Naiskos could be seen adorning a corner table of his ready room. Distressingly, Picard apparently did not take the naiskos with him after the crash of the Enterprise-D in "Generations". |
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