Winged Gorgon or Medusa face on a plundered Roman stone sarcophagus in the Necropolis of Manastirine, outside the walls of the ancient Greek and Roman city of Salona, at Solin near Split in Dalmatia, Croatia. Images from Greco-Roman mythology are mixed here with later Christian symbols commemorating martyrs executed by Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia: this winged Gorgon or Medusa mask is sculpted in relief on one of the many shattered Greek or Roman stone sarcophagi scattered around the Necropolis of Manastirine, outside the walls of the ancient city of Salona. Gorgons (Greek) or the Medusa (Roman) are usually portrayed in Greco-Roman art as monstrous or horrific faces with writhing venomous snakes for hair and the ability to turn anyone who beheld them to stone. The Gorgon legend originated in Greek mythology but was adopted by the Romans as the Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters. Gorgon or Medusa faces are a common theme in ancient Greco-Roman art. The ancients believed that Gorgon or Medusa images could ward off evil, and there are many examples amongst the sarcophagi at Manastirine and the other Salona cemeteries. Many tomb chests are in fragments because they were plundered after the city fell to Slav and Avar forces in 614 AD. Symbols of a more recent religion - Christianity - are also found on some tombs, commemorating martyrs executed by the Roman Emperor Diocletian as well as later Christians who wished to be buried near their graves. Salona, a former Adriatic port, was founded by Illyrians in the 3rd century BC and was later a Greek city. It became a Roman colony in about 40 BC, and was later made the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The cosmopolitan city, defended by strong walls and towers, included 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 in 614, leaving their city in ruins. The excavated site is now an archaeological park.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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