. The life of the Greeks and Romans. Fig. 122. c. In and on graves of this kind are found many objects, eitherfor the purpose of adorning them or for that of indicating the 94 ALTARS IN GRAVES.—STELAL identity of the body. Of vessels and other utensils intended forthe use of the dead, we have spoken before. When the buriedperson began to be considered as a hero, the grave required analtar. (Graves were commonly called heroa, even if not in theform of temples.) Such altars, in the shape of dice, with thename of the dead inscribed on them, are numerous in Boeotia,round the Helicon. Others, round
. The life of the Greeks and Romans. Fig. 122. c. In and on graves of this kind are found many objects, eitherfor the purpose of adorning them or for that of indicating the 94 ALTARS IN GRAVES.—STELAL identity of the body. Of vessels and other utensils intended forthe use of the dead, we have spoken before. When the buriedperson began to be considered as a hero, the grave required analtar. (Graves were commonly called heroa, even if not in theform of temples.) Such altars, in the shape of dice, with thename of the dead inscribed on them, are numerous in Boeotia,round the Helicon. Others, round in shape, and either smooth,with only an inscription (like one at Delos, Fig. 123), or adornedwith sculptures, mostly of garlands and skulls of bulls, belongprincipally to the Greek islands (see Figs. 44 and 45) ; on others. Fig. 123. Fig. 124. figures are represented. An altar found in a grave at Delos(Fig. 124) shows the representation of an offering in bas-relief,besides the inscription— nAYZANIAZ MEIAONOX XAIPE. The gravestones discovered by Ross in the isle of Kasos are ofvery extraordinary appearance. They consist of semi-globes ofblue marble, about 8—10 inches in diameter, in the smoothfront side of which the name of the deceased has been chiselledin several lines of letters, belonging to the third or fourth cen-tury The most common kind of above-ground monuments for thedead all over Greece till far into Asia, are the old Attic stelai(arrjXr}) They are narrow, slender slabs of stone, gently taper-ing towards the top ; they stand erect, fastened in the ground, oron a bema, and have the name of the deceased inscribed on them. STELAI.—STATUES ON GRAVES. 95 They are crowned with anthemia, ornaments of flowers andleaves, either in relief or painted, sometimes also with pedi-ments adorned
Size: 2165px × 1154px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherlondonchapmanandha
