28 September 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Sidamara, the largest sarcophagus of the Ancient World, got Eros relief 140 years later

The Sidamara Sarcophagus, which is considered to be one of the largest sarcophagi of the ancient world and weighs many tons, has received 140 years later its missing piece, the Eros Head.

The sarcophagus belonging to the 3rd century AD, which is known by this name because it is located in the village of Ambar, formerly Sidamara, on the Konya Ereğlisi-Karaman road in the center of Turkey, is known as the heaviest sarcophagus in the world with its weight of 32 tons. The artifact was found in 1900 and brought to Istanbul by Osman Hamdi Bey.

As a result of the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the piece brought to Turkey on June 10 was reunited with the historical artifact it belongs to.

Eros Head, which was transported from London to Turkey with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkish Airlines, was placed on the giant sarcophagus with a weight of more than 30 tons, with scientific studies carried out jointly by the expert restorers of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The Sidamara Sarcophagus. Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The columned sarcophagus from the Roman Period was opened to visitors in its original form at the Istanbul Archeology Museum today.

The height of the marble sarcophagus is 313 cm, its length is 381 cm, and its width is 200 cm. On the front face of the sarcophagus, there is a man sitting in the dress of a philosopher in the middle, a young girl in the dress of Artemis on the right, and a woman in the dress of Demeter with a veil on the left. At the two ends of this face, the Dioscurians hold the bridles of the horses. On the narrow side of the sarcophagus, a woman walking towards the tomb door with a tray of fruit in her hand, and a bearded man is holding a roll on the other side of the door. On the other long side and the other narrow side of the sarcophagus, a hunting scene is engraved. The owner of the sarcophagus and his wife are lying on the lid of the sarcophagus. On the frieze on the pedestal of the sarcophagus, puttos and Eros fighting against predators can be seen, on the other hand, horses training and chariot races.

Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The Challenging Journey of the Magnifience Artifact

It was understood that the Eros Head, one of the high reliefs separated from the sarcophagus, which was discovered by the British Military Consul General Charles Wilson in 1882 and was buried again because it could not be moved, was taken to London.

The sarcophagus, which was re-discovered by a villager in the ancient city of Sidamara in Karaman in 1898, was reported to the Museum-i Hümayun, which is now the Istanbul Archeology Museum.

The giant sarcophagus, which was decided to be moved to the museum in Istanbul as a result of Osman Hamdi Bey’s investigations in the region, was moved to the center pulling with buffaloes under the conditions of the time. The magnificent work, which made a grueling journey with the special arrangement of the train wagons, reached today’s Istanbul Archeology Museum in 1901. 

Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The Eros Head relief found in London was donated by Marion Olivia Wilson to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1933 in memory of her father, Charles Wilson.

A plaster copy of the Head of Eros was placed on the giant sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums as a result of the negotiations with the Victoria & Albert Museum officials in the 1930s.

In 2010, as a result of Doctor Şehrazat Karagöz’s research that brought the issue back to the agenda, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed the issue of exhibiting the Eros Head together with the sarcophagus to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Victoria & Albert Museum Director Dr. Tristram Hunt and his team aimed at the protection of cultural assets and their approach to the preservation of cultural assets in situ helped the Eros Head to be restored to its sarcophagus.

With the cooperation protocol signed between the Istanbul Archeology Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, the missing piece of the sarcophagus was brought to Turkey and placed in its place.

Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Cover Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Banner
Related Post

Oldest Recorded Gynecological Treatment

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

In their latest research, scientists have come across a treatment practice in a mummy from 4000 years ago, as written...

A fragment with the oldest Syriac translation of the New Testament discovered

7 April 2023

7 April 2023

A researcher from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, with the help of ultraviolet photography, was able to discover a small...

Life in Trabzon Started in This Cave 13,000 Years Ago

12 March 2021

12 March 2021

Karadeniz Technical University Archeology Department academicians found that life in Trabzon started 13,000 years ago in the Koskarlı Cave. Koskarlı...

The unknown importance of Göllü Dağ on the route of the first humans’ Transition from Africa to Europe

4 October 2021

4 October 2021

The researches conducted in Göllü Dağ and its surroundings, located within the borders of Niğde province in Central Anatolia, and...

Library Wars in the Old Age!

12 February 2021

12 February 2021

One of, the world’s oldest and largest library, the other was born 100 years later as a rival to it....

Over 20 terracotta warriors have been discovered in the Terracotta Army pit in China

24 January 2022

24 January 2022

More than 20 Terracotta Warriors were unearthed from the Terracotta Army pit in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, according to...

Visit Baalbek’s Famous Temples with a Free 3d Virtual Tour

10 April 2021

10 April 2021

Baalbek, which has traces of settlement since 9000 BC, was one of the cornerstones of ancient civilizations. The famous Baalbek temple...

More than 56400 Cultural Goods Seized in Operation Pandora V

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

Operation Pandora V, aimed at preventing the illegal trade of cultural goods, has been one of the most successful operations...

A 1000-year-old Viking silver treasure found in Sweden

31 October 2022

31 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,000-year-old silver Viking treasure at Täby, Viggbyholm, outside of Stockholm. The treasure was found during an...

Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old rock-carved face at Spain’s Tossal de La Cala castle

20 May 2023

20 May 2023

Archaeologists have discovered a rock-carved face at Toscal De La Cala, a Roman fort in Benidorm, on the east coast...

A wash-basin decorated with 2500-year-old Mythological creatures and Chariot races was discovered in Izmir, Turkey

28 September 2022

28 September 2022

Unique ceramic figures were discovered in the excavations carried out this year in the ancient city of Klazomenai in the...

Archaeologists discover a new megalithic monument in heart of Andalusia in southern Spain – 5,000-year-old secret

5 May 2023

5 May 2023

Archaeologists in Spain uncovered a previously overlooked tomb while investigating the formation of La Peña de los Enamorados, also known...

In Egypt, archaeologists have discovered a 4,500-year-old Sun temple.

16 November 2021

16 November 2021

Archaeologists discovered an ancient Sun temple in the Egyptian desert that dates back 4,500 years. The remains were discovered under...

Shocking Images Appeared As The Waters Recede

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

As the dams recede, the remains of the flooded settlements come to light. This time Kayseri witnessed these images that...

A 2,000-year-old whistle was found in a child’s grave in the ruins of Assos, Turkey

18 October 2022

18 October 2022

A terracotta whistle believed to be 2,000 years old from the Roman era and placed as a gift in a...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *