Category: Infrastructure
Type: Tomb, Monument
Location: Archaeological Museum, Cankurtaran, Fatih
Date: 325-311 BC
Designer: Unknown
Period: Ancient & Hellenistic
Photo: Bjelica, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Alexander Sarcophagus, discovered in 1887 by Osman Hamdi Bey in the Royal Necropolis of Sidon, is a premier example of late fourth-century BC Hellenistic artistry and funerary architecture. Although it takes its name from the vivid high-relief carvings depicting Alexander the Great in the Battle of Issus and various hunting scenes, it is widely believed to have been the tomb of King Abdalonymos of Sidon. Designed in the form of a Greek temple and carved from Pentelic marble, the sarcophagus displays remarkable architectural precision, featuring a gabled roof, detailed cornices, and pediments filled with figurative scenes. Beyond its dynamic narrative compositions, the work is historically significant for its surviving traces of original polychromy, which offer rare evidence of the vivid colors once used to enhance the realism and emotional depth of ancient sculptural monuments.
