ancient history  lahitler  antik tarih  anatolian civilizations  konya  istanbul  archaeology museums  roman period  columned sarcophagi of anatolia  anadolunun sütunlu lahitleri  sidamara sarcophagus  sidamara lahti  docimeion  iscehisar  afyon  

A view of Sidamara Sarcophagus relief of Columned Sarcophagi of Anatolia ~Turkish: Sidamara Lahti ve Anadolunun Sütunlu Lahitleri~ in Archaeological Museum, Istanbul Archaeology Museums in Şehr-i İstanbul Turkey. Marble hanmade, Ambararası Konya Province, Roman Period 2nd half of 3rd A.D. A sarcophagus (meaning Flesh-Eater in Greek) is a coffin for inhumation burials, widely used throughout the Roman empire starting in the second century A.D.

The long and short sides of the sarcophagus tubs are devided into compartments by columns with spiralling flutings, and on top of them architectural features such as capitals, pediments and niches are shown. In the compartments, splendid relief figuers are depicted. From the Hellenistic Period on, the reliefs are, much loved and therefore much preferred, secenes of mythological events, family and hunting. It has been accepted by researchers that in the workshops of the stone quarries of Docimeion (İscehisar) in the vicinitiy of Afyon, four original forms of columned sarcophagi were produced and exported from here to places outside of Anatolia. The activities of these marble workshops, producing and exporting sarcophagi intensively in the years 140-260 A.D. came to an end in the year 260-270 A.D. because of the Stone cutters leaving Anatolia, possibly as a result of economic conditions.