Stela of man from Kom Abou Billou
 
Date of production beginning of the 2nd century (Roman era) 
Place of creation Terenuthis – necropolis Kom Abu Billou (el-Tarrana) 
Dimensions height: 25 cm, width: 23.5 cm 
ID no. MAK/AS/1444 
Museum Archaeological Museum in Kraków 
Subjects religion, sculpted, death 
Technique sculpture, engraving 
Material limestone 
Object copyright Archaeological Museum in Kraków 
Digital images copyright public domain 
Digitalisation RDW MIC, Małopolska's Virtual Museums Plus project 
Tags Cesarstwo Rzymskie, rzeźba, chrześcijaństwo, starożytny Egipt, archeologia, 3D, nekropolia, 3D plus, WMM Plus, domena publiczna, stela 
Banquet scene inside an aedicula consisting of two flat columns supporting a semicircular pediment, now lost. A papyrus capital is still visible on the column to the right. The deceased is depicted as a partaker in a banquet, reclining on a couch with two pillows and mattress, his legs crossed. He is dressed in a plain tunic and a mantle without folds, very much like the other stelae from Terenuthis. The man is stout, characterized by heavy proportions of the body and a full face with thick features: almond-shaped eyes with big, protuberant eyeballs, a flat wide nose and prominent ears. The hair forms a kind of roll and is arranged in short locks. In the left hand resting on the pillows he holds a garland, in the extended  right one – a skyphos. Horizontal engraved lines below the representation were intended for an inscription.
The earlier dating of this stela relative to the others is suggested by the arrangement of legs and the facial characteristics that are close to early 2nd century Roman portraits.
Elaborated by Krzysztof Babraj (Archaeological Museum of Kraków), editorial team of Małopolska’s Virtual Museums, translated by Iwona Zych, © all rights reserved