Here are some photos of the famous Alexander Sarcophagus at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The sarcophagus was discovered at a necropolis near Sidon in Lebanon in 1887 and was made for Abdalonymus, the king of Sidon, who died in 311 BC. One long side depicts Alexander fighting the Persians at the Battle of Issus. The opposite side depicts Alexander and Macedonians hunting lions, together with Abdalonymus and Persians. The coloured reconstructions show how the sarcophagus was originally painted.
The two photos at the bottom of the post show Ptolemaic troop types, see Nick Sekunda's Montvert book, The Ptolemaic Army for more detail. I have heaps of photos of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum and will post these at some stage. There are actually three separate museums, the Archaeological Museum (in the main building), the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Museum of Islamic Art.
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| Coloured reconstruction |
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| Coloured reconstruction of Alexander |
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| Sidon Stele (3) - The Stele of Salmas |
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| Sidon Stele (7) - The Stele of Dioskourides of Balboura |
So amazing to see these masterpieces surviving to our present day. I've use images of them for references many times.
ReplyDeleteYes it is amazing stuff Dean, I really like the coloured reconstructions.
DeleteI love seeing the painted relief figures. How sure are they that they are reproducing the right colors?
ReplyDeleteMe too Scott. There were traces of the original pigments on the reliefs and scholars have been able to reconstruct them from that. I'd imagine it would have been very detailed and painstaking work!
DeleteHope I'll be there one day...splendid, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil, no worries, it is an amazing museum.
DeleteInteresting photos and reconstrucion, it's funny how the Greeks and Romans viewed limestone and marble as a material to be painted and covered up! Different aesthetic.
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain, yes it was quite widespread in the ancient world the painting of reliefs, sculptures, buildings and temples. At sites in Egypr you can still see the original colour quite clearly.
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