Tomb of Menecrates
39°37′00.5″N 19°55′09.6″E / 39.616806°N 19.919333°E
The Tomb of Menecrates or Monument of Menecrates is an
The sculpture is dated to the end of the seventh century BC and is one of the earliest funerary lions ever found.
Dating and construction
Both the tomb and the sculpture are made of local limestone.[3] The tomb is cylindrical with a conical roof.[3] The cylindrical part consists of five circular rings (or domes) made of stones of equal thickness featuring isodomic construction.[6] The conical cover of the tomb is similar to the original one (which has disappeared), and it features stones radiating from a central rectangular capstone at the top.[6] The monument is 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) in height[8] and 4.7–4.9 m (15–16 ft) in diameter.[8][4] The tomb represents a significantly better example of funerary architecture than the primitive tomb forms available at that time.[9]
Due to the softness of the stones, the monument shows signs of significant weathering and erosion.[6] The tomb is more precisely dated to 570–540 BC.[6] There are only two monuments of this kind in Greece, the other being the undated monument to Kleoboulos in Rhodes.[6]
Inscription
There is an ancient inscription on the tomb. It is expressed in
The inscription reads as follows:[10][11][12]
Υιού Τλασίαο Μενεκράτους τόδε σάμα Οιανθέως γενεάν τόδε δ' αυτώ δάμος εποίει- Ης γαρ πρόξενος, δάμου φίλος- αλλ' ενίπόντω Ώλετο· δαμόσιον δε καθίκετο πένθος Οιάνθην. Πραξιμενης δ' αυτώ ι. ηδ' απο πατριδος ενθων Συν δαμω τοδε σαμα κασιγνητοιο πονηθη.
The ancient inscription translates as:
For Menecrates, the son of Tlasias from Oiantheia, this [monument] was built by the people [of Korkyra]—because he was proxenos [ambassador] and friend of the people [of Korkyra], but he was lost at sea. Oiantheia fell into public mourning. Praximenes for this reason came from his fatherland to make an effort to raise this monument to his brother together with the people [of Korkyra].[3][10]
Lion of Menecrates
The sculpture of the Lion of Menecrates was found near the tomb and was thought to belong to the cenotaph of Menecrates, from whom it got its name.[3][13] The sculpture is of Assyrian sculptural style, and it is considered to be an excellent example of Archaic-period sculpture.[3] The sculpture is dated to the end of the seventh century BC and it is one of the earliest funerary lions ever found.[3] The sculpture is exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu.[3][6] There also is speculation, however, that the sculpture might belong to the tomb of Arniadas.[1]
Conservation and administration
A study for the conservation and repair of the monument has been approved by the Central Archaeological Council. The council also accepted the advice of a professor at the National Technical University of Athens to modify the proposal to include measures for avoiding flooding at the base of the monument, by creating a sloping surface at the foundation.[8]
In September 2018, both the
References
- ^ a b c Percy Gardner (1896). Sculptured Tombs of Hellas. Macmillan and Company, Limited. p. 200.
- ISBN 978-88-283-2151-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Funerary Archaic Lion". Archaeological Museum of Corfu.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-910589-58-8.
- ^ Germain Bazin (1976). The History of World Sculpture. Chartwell Books. p. 127.
This lion was found near the tomb of Menekrates in the necropolis of ancient Kerkyra (modern Corfu). Menekrates was a Lokrian, the proxenos of the people of Kerkyra, according to a metric inscription on the grave monument.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Το μνημείο του Μενεκράτη". Odysseus.
- ^ The Building News and Engineering Journal. 1883. p. 722.
- ^ a b c "Υπέρ του μνημείου Μενεκράτη στην Κέρκυρα το ΚΑΣ". Newsbeast. 13 January 2011.
- ^ Alan Rowe; Derek Buttle. Cyrenaican Expedition. Manchester University Press. p. 11. GGKEY:KF16Y6P8CQS.
- ^ a b c d e f The Journal of the British Archaeological Association. British Archaeological Association. 1856. p. 23.
- ^ The Literary Gazette and Journal of the Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, &c. W.A. Scripps. 1843. p. 853.
- ^ Thanasēs Gkonēs (1999). Poreia gia Galaxidi. Ekdoseis Gkonē. p. 28.
Υιού Τλασίαο Μενεκράτεος τόδε σάμα Οιανθέως γενεάν τόδε δ' αυτώ δάμος εποίει - Ης γαρ πρόξενος, δάμου φίλος- αλλ' ενίπόντω Ώλετο· δαμόσιον δε καθίκετο πένθος Οιάνθην.
- ^ Richard Norton (1897). Greek Grave-reliefs. Ginn & Company. p. 43.
- ^ "Επιστολή Νικολούζου για τα μνημεία της Κέρκυρας". ERT. 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Δήμαρχος Κέρκυρας: "Δεν πουλάμε τα μνημεία μας, ανακαλέστε"". Enimerosi. 25 September 2018.
External links
- Media related to Tomb of Menekrates at Wikimedia Commons