A TOMB STELE FROM THE CENTRAL KARACAOREN VİLLAGE (HADRIANI)

Abstract

The tomb stele in good condition, which was acquired to the Burdur Museum by a citizen, is preserved in the garden of the museum. The stele from Karacaören village of the central district of the province must have been carved in an itinerant workshop in Hadriani. The tomb stele, which has a flat lower part and a triangular upper part, features a standing man and a woman in the scene. Both figures are of the “Dioscurides” type. This type, which is quite common in the man figures of the Roman Imperial period, is also preferred for the woman figures. The most distinctive features of this type are that the right arm, bent at the elbow with the posture of the figures, is enclosed in a sling formed from the himation, while the left arm adjacent to the body is slightly bent at the elbow and extended downwards, holding the end of the himation. This type also represents the status of the man figure and his family. The tomb stele, which is dated to the Roman Imperial period with its rather simple appearance, has been suggested a period based on the stylistic evaluations of the man and woman figures. The hairstyle of the man figure is similar to that of the portrait of Traianus in type I. The hair fashion in the woman portrait is similar to that in the “Ceres” type portrait of Vibia Sabina, the wife of Hadrianus (117-138 AD). In addition to this hairstyle/fashion, other stylistic features of the figures reflect the stylistic characteristics of the Traianus (98-117 AD) period. As a result of the analyzes, the tomb stele was dated to the Late Traianus-Early Hadrianus period.