Envoy steles
Two grave monuments on the Kerameikos , the most important and largest ancient cemetery in Athens , are designated as envoy steles . There is also an inscription found in their surroundings .
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Stele of the consul Pythagoras from Selymbria (left) and stele for the ambassadors Thersandros and Simylos from Kerkyra (right)
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The envoy stelae were found on the south hill of Kerameikos. Both steles stand upright to this day where they were found, which were also the sites in ancient times . They belong to two graves for ambassadors , a third grave for an ambassador was found slightly to the west of them.
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In his dialogue Kritias , Plato describes four different groups of strangers in a community and how to deal with them. Envoys and how they should be treated are explained in the notes to the third group. According to this, envoys who were officially in Athens have special protection and must be accommodated, cared for and looked after by high-ranking dignitaries - strategists , hipparchs and taxarchs . This care also applies in particular in the event of death in which these persons or the Attic state had to provide for the burial of the deceased. The state paid for the burial itself as well as for grave monuments and inscriptions. Honorable epigrams not only described the reason for the tomb, but also reported the obligation of the Athens Polis , which was fulfilled with the burial. According to evidence of the circumstances of the find, there was a separate grave area on the Kerameikos for such deceased, which was particularly in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Was reserved for such cases. Already the location near the city gate, opposite the Tritopatreion on the very busy street, where the Gräberstrasse separated from the Holy Street , suggests a special significance of these grave sites and thus also the significance of the related activities. The Athenian state thus complied with a special concern of the grave cult, namely to keep the names of the deceased in memory.
Elevation of ambassadors' steles
Layout
Side view
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The easternmost grave was the one with the stele of the consul Pythagoras from Selymbria . In the center was the grave with the stele for the ambassadors Thersandros and Simylos from Kerkyra , in the west finally followed the grave from which the inscription for Silenus from Rhegion has been preserved. The region with the envoy stelae was discovered relatively early during the exploration of the Kerameikos. They were discovered and excavated in 1870 by Stefanos Koumanoudis . Follow-up examinations followed in 1971 under the direction of Ursula Knigge .
literature
- Ursula Knigge : The Kerameikos of Athens. Guided tour of excavations and history. Krene, Athens 1988, pp. 97-101.
- Jutta Stroszeck : The Kerameikos in Athens. History, buildings and monuments in the archaeological park. Bibliopolis, Athens 2014, ISBN 978-3-943741-04-9 , pp. 168-174.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ leg. 12, 952 D-953 E