The Cemeteries of Delphi

The Cemeteries of Delphi. TA NEKPOTAΦEIA ΔEΛΦΩN. The texts for this marker are written in Greek (left), English (center) and French (right). Only the English text has been transcribed. To read the Greek and French texts, enlarge the marker image by clicking on it. , English: , The sarcophagus, now exposed in front of the Archaeological Museum, was found between 1828 and 1831. It was part of a family funerary monument - now accessible to the public - located at the east of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It is dated to the second half of the 2nd century AD and it is attributed to a workshop located in Athens. A female figure, which probably depicts the deceased, is sculptured on the sarcophagus lid. The side walls depict the hunt of the Calydonian Boar, a particularly popular legend in Antiquity, which inspired many themes for sculpture and pottery painting (1). On the right side, appears a naked man with his horse, probably Meleager himself or one of the Dioscuri. On the main side we can see the hunt of the wild boar and the dispute around his body. On the left side, Althaea, the mother of Meleager, throws a log in the fire. According to the legend, the hero would die when the log burning on the hearth was fully consumed. Melaeger had inadvertently killed his mother's brother and his act had provoked his mother's anger, who decided to cause the death of Meleager. , The west cemetery of Delphi extended in the area where the Archaeological Museum stands. Natural or artificial cavities are observed within the rock, which were used from the Mycenaean until the Roman period as burial sites. The famous Attic white-ground kylix with the depiction of Apollo offering a libation (2) as well as a clay protome (3), was also found in the deposition pit of a tomb in Delphi. , In 2013, during the execution of the project "Upgrading and extension of the existing fire extinguishing system of the Archaeological Site of Dephi (Phase A)", which was financed by EU funds, another stone sarcophagus was discovered in the cobbled courtyard of the Museum that belongs to the west part of the Delphi Cemetery. The sarcophagus with a lid in the form of a pediment had been plundered in Antiquity. During the Roman times another two bricked graves were built next to the sarcophagus, one small rectangular and one barrel-vaulted grave (4-6). , The cemeteries of Delphi provide valuable insights into the daily life, customs and traditions of the town, which grew in the shadow of the famous oracle.