Abstract:

In this study, twelve funerary steles brought to Ephesus Museum between 1975-1993 by means of purchase, donation and gift are evaluated. There are figures depicted on or next to the horse in the decoration areas of the twelve tomb steles examined. The samples discussed are grave stele samples that have not been published before in the Ephesus Museum and they are aimed to be introduced to the science world within the scope of the study. In this context, first of all, information about the iconography and origin of the type of decoration was presented. The iconographically examined samples are also compared with similar samples found in Anatolia, Greece and Aegean Islands in terms of stele types, decoration and figure types, and the style and typological features of the tomb steles preserved in the Ephesus Museum are examined. As a result of the study, it was determined that the tomb steles considered generally have a flat-topped naiscos form stele type with a transverse rectangular shape close to the square, they are associated with the Heroic cult in terms of iconography, and they are in the typology of figures moving towards the right in the decoration areas. The examples discussed have a wide date range from the middle of the 2nd century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century AD in chronological terms. Also this study is important in terms of determining the stele type, iconographic integrity and typological features of the specimens, as well as proving the existence of the Heroic Cult in the Ephesus Museum samples at that time.

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