Gravestone of Apollasm son of Dionysos

myminifactory

Elegant funerary memorials were constructed in the sixth century B.C. by wealthy families of Attica on their private burial grounds along roadsides or within their family estates near Athens. Ornate relief sculptures, statues, and tall stelai topped with imposing capitals and finials marked many of these gravesites. Each memorial bore a bas-relief inscription bearing an epitaph, often written in verse that celebrated the life of the deceased. A figurative representation of the deceased was sometimes depicted on reliefs, evoking aspects of their life through the inclusion of attendants, personal belongings, and pets. In early reliefs, it is simple to recognize the individual being honored; however, by the fourth century B.C., more family members were incorporated into scenes, often accompanied by numerous inscriptions, making it increasingly challenging to identify the deceased amidst the mourners.