Polyxenasarkophag
Der marmorne Polyxenasarkophag wurde 1994 in einem Grabhügel, dem Kizöldün-Tumulus, bei Gümüşçay, Landkreis Biga, gefunden, der nicht weit entfernt vom Biga Çayı, in der Antike Granikos, in der nördlichen Troas liegt. Er wird in spätarchaische Zeit (um 510–500 v. Chr.) datiert und damit handelt sich um einen der frühsten griechischen Sarkophage mit Reliefdekoration. Seit 2018 ist er im Troya Müzesi ausgestellt.
Auffindung
Der Sarkophag wurde bei Rettungsgrabungen des Archäologischen Museums Çanakkale entdeckt. In der Gegend gab es zahlreiche illegale Grabungen, worauf das Museum mit umfangreichen Rettungsgrabungen reagierte. Der Sarkophag ist schon von 1994 modernen Raubgräbern aufgespürt worden, die auf ein antikes Loch im Deckel des Sarkophages stießen und von weiteren Grabungen absahen, da es offensichtlich war, dass der Sarkophag schon in der Antike beraubt wurde.[1]
Der Sarkophag ist ohne weitere Vorkehrungen in den Boden gelegt worden. Die Reliefs waren durch Tonplatten geschützt, aber es gibt keine Anzeichen, dass er einst in einer Grabkammer deponiert wurde.[2] Im Sarkophag fanden sich Knochen eines etwa 40-jährigen Mannes.
Beschreibung
Der Sarkophag mit Deckel ist 3,32 m lang, 1,60 m breit und 1,78 m hoch, der Sarkophagkasten ist 2,85 m lang, 1,19 m breit und 1,18 m hoch.
Die Dekoration der einen Längsseite gab dem Sarkophag seinen modernen Namen. Hier ist das Opfer der Polyxena, Tochter des Priamos, dargestellt. Achilles erschien im Traum seines Sohnes und verlangte, dass die schönste trojanische Frau geopfert werden solle. Die Griechen wählten Polyxena aus, die zum Grab des Achilles gebracht und dort geopfert wurde. Diese Seite des Sarkophages zeigt zwölf Figuren, die in zwei Gruppen geteilt werden können. Auf der rechten Seite sieht man die eigentliche Opferung der Polyxena (ganz rechts das Grab des Achilles), auf der linken Seite sind trojanische Frauen dargestellt, die ihren Tod beklagen. Alle Männer in der Darstellung sind Griechen, alle Frauen sind Trojanerinnen.[3] Die Opferszene setzt sich auf einer Nebenseite fort. Hier sieht man Hekabe, die Mutter der Polyxena, und zwei Frauen in Trauergestus.
Die Interpretation der anderen Längsseite bereitet Probleme. Hier ist eine Feier dargestellt, doch bleibt unklar, wer oder was gefeiert wird. Abgebildet sind 17 Personen, davon vier Männer. Die Frauen machen Musik, tanzen und geben Geschenke. Die Darstellung kann wiederum in zwei Teile geteilt werden. In der linken Hälfte sieht man eine Frau auf einem Thron sitzen, Frauen bringen Geschenke. Auf der rechten Seite sieht man Musikantinnen, vier männliche Tänzer und vier weitere Frauen.[4] Die Darstellung einer Feier findet ihre Fortsetzung auf der letzten Nebenseite. Hier sieht man zwei Frauen auf einer Kline sitzend.[5]
Nebenseite: Hekabe trauert um ihre Tochter
Nebenseite: Feier: zwei Frauen auf einer Kline
Detail: die Opferung/Tötung der Polyxena
Literatur
- Catherine M. Draycott: Making Meaning of Myth. On the Interpretation of Mythological Imagery in the Polyxena Sarcophagus and the Kızılbel Tomb and the History of Achaemenid Asia Minor. In: Lucey Audley-Miller, Beate Dignas (Hrsg.): Wandering Myths. Transcultural uses of Myth in the Ancient World. De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2018, ISBN 978-3-11-041685-5, S. 23–70.
- Nurten Sevinç: A New Sarcophagus of Polyxena from the Salvage Excavations at Gümüşçay. In: Studia Troica 6, 1996, S. 251–264.
- Carola Reinsberg: Der Polyxena-Sarkophag in Çanakkale. In: Renate Bol, Detlev Kreikenbom (Hrsg.): Sepulkral- und Votivdenkmäler östlicher Mittelmeergebiete (7. Jh. v. Chr. – 1. Jh. n. Chr.). Kulturbegegnungen im Spannungsfeld von Akzeptanz und Resistenz. Möhnesee 2004, ISBN 978-3-933925-51-0, S. 199–217.
- Carola Reinsberg: Der spätarchaische Polyxenasarkophag. In: Antike Plastik. Lieferung 32. Reichert, Wiesbaden 2022, ISBN 978-3-7520-0673-5, S. 1–143.
- Nicolas Assur Corfù: Der Polyxena-Sarkophag von Çanakkale – archaisch oder archaistisch? In: Numismatica e Antichità Classiche, Quaderni Ticinesi 45, 2016, S. 43–66 (Digitalisat).
- Carola Reinsberg: Der Polyxena-Sarkophag in Çanakkale. In: Olba 10, 2001, S. 71–99.
- Karin Geppert: Überlegungen zum Polyxena-Sarkophag im Museum Çanakkale. In: Natascha Kreutz, Beat Schweizer (Hrsg.): Tekmeria. Archäologische Zeugnisse in ihrer kulturhistorischen und politischen Dimension. Beiträge für Werner Gauer. Scriptorium, Münster 2006, ISBN 978-3-932610-40-0, S. 89–106.
- Charles Brian Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2014, ISBN 978-0-521-76207-6.
Einzelnachweise
- ↑ Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, S. 75.
- ↑ Nurten Sevinç: Çanakkale-Gümüsçay Tümülüsleri 1994 Yılı Kurtarma Kazıları Ön Raporu. In: 6. Müze Kurtarma Kazıları Semineri, 24-26 Nisan 1995, Didim. Ankara 1996, S. 443–449 (Digitalisat); Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, S. 75.
- ↑ Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, S. 79–87.
- ↑ Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, S. 89–91.
- ↑ Rose: The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, S. 91–95.
Weblinks
Auf dieser Seite verwendete Medien
Autor/Urheber: Dosseman (Dick Osseman), Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
The sacrifice of Polyxena on the eponymous sarcophagus. Kızöldün Tumulus is the oldest known tumulus of Hellespontine Phrygia. It was found in the Granicus River valley, near Biga in the Province of Çanakkale in 1994. The discovery was the result of the rescue operations carried out after the authorities had been notified about illegal digs in the area. Within the tumulus, the archaeologists found two marble sarcophagi: one representing the sacrifice of Polyxena, dating to around 500–490 BCE, and another containing the body of a 10-year-old girl, buried 40 or 50 years later.
Polyxena Sarcophagus is a remarkable object as it is one of the earliest stone sarcophagi with figural scenes ever to have been found in Asia Minor. It represents the early example of the Proconnesian marble workshops. It has impressive dimensions of 3.32 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 1.78 meters in height. A whole in the cover of the sarcophagus indicates that it had been robbed in antiquity. Moreover, fragments of a wheeled cart that transported the corpse to the tumulus were discovered beneath the terracotta tiles that surrounded the sarcophagus. Although the figures of the reliefs depict mainly women, the person buried was a 40-year-old man. The reliefs on the sarcophagus show a funerary celebration on three sides, and on the back what is believed to be the sacrifice of Polyxena by Neuptolemos in front of the tomb of his father Achilles. Although not mentioned by Homer, Polyxena was a well-known figure of Greek mythology. She was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Polyxena's brother, Prince Troilus, reached the age of twenty. The siblings were ambushed when they were attempting to fetch water from a fountain, and Troilus was killed by Achilles, who soon became interested in Polyxena. He seemed to trust Polyxena, and he told her of his only vulnerability: his heel.
Polyxena revealed this secret to her brothers, Paris and Deiphobus, who ambushed Achilles and shot him in the heel with an arrow. At the end of the Trojan War, Achilles' ghost came back to the Greeks to demand the human sacrifice of Polyxena to appease the wind needed to set sail back to Greece. She was to be killed at the foot of Achilles' grave. Polyxena was eager to die as a sacrifice to Achilles rather than live as a slave. She refused to beg for mercy and died bravely as the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, slit her throat."
Autor/Urheber: Dosseman, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
On the other long side will be the sacrifical scene. This side has scenes of a celebration: an enthroned woman receiving gifts in the company of musicians and dancers. The sarcophagus was discovered in 1994. It’s dated to 500-490 BC, that is during the Persian control of the area. It is the earliest example of a sarcophagus with figural scenes to have been found in Anatolia. Kızöldün Tumulus is the oldest known tumulus of Hellespontine Phrygia. It was found in the Granicus River valley, near Biga in the Province of Çanakkale in 1994. The discovery was the result of the rescue operations carried out after the authorities had been notified about illegal digs in the area. Within the tumulus, the archaeologists found two marble sarcophagi: one representing the sacrifice of Polyxena, dating to around 500–490 BCE, and another containing the body of a 10-year-old girl, buried 40 or 50 years later.
Polyxena Sarcophagus is a remarkable object as it is one of the earliest stone sarcophagi with figural scenes ever to have been found in Asia Minor. It represents the early example of the Proconnesian marble workshops. It has impressive dimensions of 3.32 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 1.78 meters in height. A whole in the cover of the sarcophagus indicates that it had been robbed in antiquity. Moreover, fragments of a wheeled cart that transported the corpse to the tumulus were discovered beneath the terracotta tiles that surrounded the sarcophagus. Although the figures of the reliefs depict mainly women, the person buried was a 40-year-old man. The reliefs on the sarcophagus show a funerary celebration on three sides, and on the back what is believed to be the sacrifice of Polyxena by Neuptolemos in front of the tomb of his father Achilles. Although not mentioned by Homer, Polyxena was a well-known figure of Greek mythology. She was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Polyxena's brother, Prince Troilus, reached the age of twenty. The siblings were ambushed when they were attempting to fetch water from a fountain, and Troilus was killed by Achilles, who soon became interested in Polyxena. He seemed to trust Polyxena, and he told her of his only vulnerability: his heel.
Polyxena revealed this secret to her brothers, Paris and Deiphobus, who ambushed Achilles and shot him in the heel with an arrow. At the end of the Trojan War, Achilles' ghost came back to the Greeks to demand the human sacrifice of Polyxena to appease the wind needed to set sail back to Greece. She was to be killed at the foot of Achilles' grave. Polyxena was eager to die as a sacrifice to Achilles rather than live as a slave. She refused to beg for mercy and died bravely as the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, slit her throat."_Polyxena_Sarcophagus_enthroned_woman_short_side_7933.jpg)
Autor/Urheber: Dosseman, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
A short side of the Polyxena Sarcophagus with an enthroned woman, between two women. Directly related to the deceased and funerary celebrations. One of many pictures, many in detail, taken in different museums under differing conditions.
_Polyxena_Sarcophagus_Hecuba_mourning_7937.jpg)
Autor/Urheber: Dosseman, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
One of some pictures of the short side of this sarcophagus. The mother of Polyxena mournin under a leafless tree.
Polyxena Sarcophagus is a remarkable object as it is one of the earliest stone sarcophagi with figural scenes ever to have been found in Asia Minor. It represents the early example of the Proconnesian marble workshops. It has impressive dimensions of 3.32 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 1.78 meters in height. A whole in the cover of the sarcophagus indicates that it had been robbed in antiquity. Moreover, fragments of a wheeled cart that transported the corpse to the tumulus were discovered beneath the terracotta tiles that surrounded the sarcophagus. Although the figures of the reliefs depict mainly women, the person buried was a 40-year-old man. The reliefs on the sarcophagus show a funerary celebration on three sides, and on the back what is believed to be the sacrifice of Polyxena by Neuptolemos in front of the tomb of his father Achilles. Although not mentioned by Homer, Polyxena was a well-known figure of Greek mythology. She was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Polyxena's brother, Prince Troilus, reached the age of twenty. The siblings were ambushed when they were attempting to fetch water from a fountain, and Troilus was killed by Achilles, who soon became interested in Polyxena. He seemed to trust Polyxena, and he told her of his only vulnerability: his heel.
Polyxena revealed this secret to her brothers, Paris and Deiphobus, who ambushed Achilles and shot him in the heel with an arrow. At the end of the Trojan War, Achilles' ghost came back to the Greeks to demand the human sacrifice of Polyxena to appease the wind needed to set sail back to Greece. She was to be killed at the foot of Achilles' grave. Polyxena was eager to die as a sacrifice to Achilles rather than live as a slave. She refused to beg for mercy and died bravely as the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, slit her throat."
Autor/Urheber: Dosseman (Dick Osseman), Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0
The sarcophagus used to be in another museum but now is in the Troy Museum, close to the excavation site. References to the former location can be found, but would be wrong: the content of the former is now on display in the new museum. Kızöldün Tumulus is the oldest known tumulus of Hellespontine Phrygia. It was found in the Granicus River valley, near Biga in the Province of Çanakkale in 1994. The discovery was the result of the rescue operations carried out after the authorities had been notified about illegal digs in the area. Within the tumulus, the archaeologists found two marble sarcophagi: one representing the sacrifice of Polyxena, dating to around 500–490 BCE, and another containing the body of a 10-year-old girl, buried 40 or 50 years later.
Polyxena Sarcophagus is a remarkable object as it is one of the earliest stone sarcophagi with figural scenes ever to have been found in Asia Minor. It represents the early example of the Proconnesian marble workshops. It has impressive dimensions of 3.32 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 1.78 meters in height. A whole in the cover of the sarcophagus indicates that it had been robbed in antiquity. Moreover, fragments of a wheeled cart that transported the corpse to the tumulus were discovered beneath the terracotta tiles that surrounded the sarcophagus. Although the figures of the reliefs depict mainly women, the person buried was a 40-year-old man. The reliefs on the sarcophagus show a funerary celebration on three sides, and on the back what is believed to be the sacrifice of Polyxena by Neuptolemos in front of the tomb of his father Achilles. Although not mentioned by Homer, Polyxena was a well-known figure of Greek mythology. She was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Polyxena's brother, Prince Troilus, reached the age of twenty. The siblings were ambushed when they were attempting to fetch water from a fountain, and Troilus was killed by Achilles, who soon became interested in Polyxena. He seemed to trust Polyxena, and he told her of his only vulnerability: his heel.
Polyxena revealed this secret to her brothers, Paris and Deiphobus, who ambushed Achilles and shot him in the heel with an arrow. At the end of the Trojan War, Achilles' ghost came back to the Greeks to demand the human sacrifice of Polyxena to appease the wind needed to set sail back to Greece. She was to be killed at the foot of Achilles' grave. Polyxena was eager to die as a sacrifice to Achilles rather than live as a slave. She refused to beg for mercy and died bravely as the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, slit her throat."