Phrygian Funeral Altar, 4th Century CE

3D Image

by Geoffrey Marchal
published on 01 February 2020

Marble funeral altar (Bômos) from Roman-era Phrygia, 313-314 CE.

The decoration of the four faces is composed of the following elements, which are made difficult to read due to vandalism by Christians.

a) A medallion representing a rider hero (Manes?) surmounted by the bust of the Sun.

b) Below niche with a bust of a goddess, possibly Hecate. A crown once containing a portrait which was replaced by a cross.

c) An eagle, a crown in its beak and indistinct figures (a rider and two felines).

d) Finally, a representation of Hermés holding the purse and the caduceus.

In the inscription spread over three faces (a-c), the high priest Athanatos Epitynchanos boasts of having received, thanks to his initiation by the high priestess Ispatalé, the gift “to make oracles real”.

From Otourak (near Acmonia, Phrygia). Museum of Art History (Musée du Cinquantenaire) Brussels, Belgium). Made with CapturingReality.