Marble funerary stele

Marble funerary stele (tombstone) from circa 350 - 323 BC, from Marion Cyprus. The dead man 's head projects above the architectural framework of the stele which takes the form of a naiskos (miniature shrine). His shaggy hair and beard recall contemporary and later portraits of poets and philosophers; the downward tilt of his head and his steady gaze suggest his detachment from the world of the living. Both the marble and the style of this stele are Athenian. It may have been imported ready-made from Athens. Alternatively the carving may have been executed in Marion on a blank imported stele, either by a migrant Athenian sculptor or by a skilled Cypriot craftsman. Given by the Cyprus Exploration Fund GR61890 3D scan by Rosie Forrest, made using an Artec Leo. https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/66494