Basalt funerary stele with a banquet scene

sketchfab

BLMJ 01060 A majestic stone slab from around 900-700 BCE stands tall, its origins rooted in Southeastern Anatolia (Marash?). On its surface, a beautifully crafted scene unfolds: a man and woman, likely husband and wife, sit across from each other with a table laden between them. The man proudly grasps a staff and a stalk of wheat, while his partner holds a cup and a spindle. The table is piled high with loaves of flat bread, an offering to ensure the couple's prosperity in the afterlife. This poignant banquet scene was probably deeply connected to the cult of the dead, and the stele itself served as a revered funerary monument.