Gorgon or Medusa mask carved on a Roman marble sarcophagus or tomb chest lid in the Necropolis of Manastirine, one of the cemeteries outside the walls of ancient Salona at Solin, near Split in southern Croatia. Salona, with a population of about 60,000, was once the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Monochrome version.
Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia: square format monochrome view of a grim Medusa or Gorgon mask in a triangular pediment on a finely sculpted marble sarcophagus or tomb chest lid in the Necropolis of Manastirine, outside the walls of ancient Salona, capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The Gorgon legend came from ancient Greece, but was adopted by the Romans as the Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters. In Greco-Roman art, Gorgons and Medusas were portrayed as monstrous or horrific faces with writhing, venomous snakes for hair. The ancients believed that a Gorgon or Medusa face could turn an onlooker to stone - but also that Gorgon or Medusa images could ward off evil. This particular mask protected the Roman couple whose headless effigies recline on the sloping roof of the lid, above sculptural detail such as winged horses, dolphins and a sleeping putto or cherub. The quality of the sculpture suggests that the pair must have been amongst Salona's elite citizens. Artistic detail on Salona's sarcophagi drawn from Greco-Roman mythology contrasts with early Christian symbols on some tombs carved to commemorate saints and other citizens martyred by the Romans, as well as later generations of Christians who chose to be buried close to their graves. Salona was founded by Illyrians in the 3rd century BC and then became a Greek city. It became a Roman colony in about 40 BC and was made the Dalmatian provincial capital during the reign of Augustus Caesar. Its cosmopolitan citizens had the use of public baths, an aqueduct, a forum, a theatre and an 18,000-capacity amphitheatre. The Roman Empire began to collapse in the 5th century and Salona fell to the Ostrogoths in 493 AD. Although it was later returned to Rome, its citizens fled from attacking Avar forces in 614 AD, leaving ruined buildings and plundered tombs. The excavated site is now an archaeological park.
Size: 2808px × 2809px
Location: Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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