TR
EN
A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos
Abstract
During the 2006 excavation season, a relief-decorated sarcophagus -offering significant insight into both the Classical Period plastic arts of the ancient city of Tlos and the Lycian region- was discovered during vegetation clearance conducted along the continuation of the eastern fortification walls of the acropolis. The sarcophagus, reused as spolia within the wall, was identified with its constituent parts: the trough/chest, lid, hyposorion, and podium blocks. These fragments, found in close proximity to one another, had been enclosed with blocks from other architectural structures, as seen in other sections of the wall. A relief and door profile observed on the lateral face of one of the blocks, believed to belong to the same sarcophagus, indicated that this rectangular block had originally been part of the hyposorion. This block, featuring a depiction of a male figure wearing a himation, was evaluated, together with other fragments belonging to the lid, chest, main body, and podium. Based on comparisons with other sarcophagi in the Lycian region, the Tlos example was identified as a hyposorion-type sarcophagus, and a restitution proposal was made. This tomb architecture, which is common throughout the region, finds one of its earliest known examples dating from the Classical Period in Tlos. Further, it has been determined that this sarcophagus predates and bears similarities to the Payava Sarcophagus from Xanthos.
Keywords
Thanks
I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Taner Korkut, head of the Tlos Excavations, for granting permission to publish this monumental tomb and for his scientific support throughout the preparation of this article. I also thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilsen Şerife Özdemir for her support and contributions to the drawings related to the monument. Furthermore, I would like to thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şevket Aktaş, who directed the 2006 excavations at the fortification wall, for kindly sharing his observations regarding the blocks of the monument. Asst. Prof. Dr. Aktaş noted the presence of a trough opening in the part of Block 1 embedded within the wall. The digital drawings used in this article were prepared by architect Tuğba Teze, whose contributions I also appreciate.
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Classical Period Archeology
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Publication Date
June 24, 2025
Submission Date
April 17, 2025
Acceptance Date
May 17, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 13
APA
Yücel Bahçetepe, T. (2025). A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos. Cedrus, 13, 49-67. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03
AMA
1.Yücel Bahçetepe T. A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos. Cedrus. 2025;13:49-67. doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03
Chicago
Yücel Bahçetepe, Tijen. 2025. “A Sarcophagus With Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos”. Cedrus 13 (June): 49-67. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03.
EndNote
Yücel Bahçetepe T (June 1, 2025) A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos. Cedrus 13 49–67.
IEEE
[1]T. Yücel Bahçetepe, “A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos”, Cedrus, vol. 13, pp. 49–67, June 2025, doi: 10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03.
ISNAD
Yücel Bahçetepe, Tijen. “A Sarcophagus With Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos”. Cedrus 13 (June 1, 2025): 49-67. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03.
JAMA
1.Yücel Bahçetepe T. A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos. Cedrus. 2025;13:49–67.
MLA
Yücel Bahçetepe, Tijen. “A Sarcophagus With Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos”. Cedrus, vol. 13, June 2025, pp. 49-67, doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03.
Vancouver
1.Tijen Yücel Bahçetepe. A Sarcophagus with Hyposorion from the Ancient City of Tlos. Cedrus. 2025 Jun. 1;13:49-67. doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.03