Collections

Funerary Stele

MS 2. yüzyıl ortası

Sabancı Üniversitesi Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi (Emirgan, İstanbul, Türkiye)

This example of marble tomb stelae, primarily seen in Phrygian Anatolia, is dated to the middle of the 2nd century. This stele type, featuring door motifs, took temple or house-shaped tombs as its inspiration. It is thought that these door motifs symbolized the bond between life and death and that each panel represented the rooms of a house or the entrance to a tomb. In this example from the SSM Collection of Archeological Artifacts, the door is divided into four panels, with circular doorknob motifs at the center of each one. There is an arched pediment over the door, which features a mirror, a comb, a basket of wool, a spindle, and a spinner, as well as palmettes on the corners. While these motifs are typically seen on the funerary stelae of women, those belonging to men bear rolls of paper, writing tablets, and styluses. Inscribed in Greek above the pediment arch is the sentence “ΟCΡΕΓΙΑΝΟCΠΑΤΡΙΚΑΙΜΗΤΡΙΜΝΗΜΗC ΧΑΡΙΝ” meaning “Regianus [?] built this tomb in memory of his parents.”

Detail

Collection
Arkeolojik Eserler Koleksiyonu
Title
Funerary Stele
Date
MS 2. yüzyıl ortası
Dimensions
yükseklik: 95 cm; genişlik: 55,5 cm; derinlik: 10cm
Medium
Marble
Location
Sabancı Üniversitesi Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi (Emirgan, İstanbul, Türkiye)
Object Number
400-0242
Credit
Photo © Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum

Categories

Subject

Arkeolojik Eserler Koleksiyonu

Format

Marble

Date / Term

MS 2. yüzyıl ortası

Geographical Location

Istanbul, Turkey