Grave Stele of Sarapous

Limestone stele depicting a female figure in Greek dress flanked by two jackals. The inscription on the stele reads: "Sarapous, daughter of Euanthes, died before her time, childless, devoted to her husband, fond of her sister, fond of her friends, about 14 years old. Year 6, Phaophi 8." KM 21069: Limestone Stele of Sarapous Terenouthis, Egypt

The inscription is short and of a generally poor quality. It tells only the name and age of the deceased. This grave marker is made of limestone and cut in hollow relief. The stele bears a central standing female figure. Her arms extend at right angles from her body and are bent at the elbow with the forearms held upward in the 'orans' pose: a common position that shows communication with the gods. The figure is clothed in an Ionic chiton, overlaid by a Doric-style chiton that extends to just below the waist and is tied under the breasts with a belt. The hair is indicated by incised lines, parted in the middle and brought back from the forehead. The clothing is clearly Greek, but the representation of the hair, and of the legs in profile, are in an Egyptian style. The mixture of Greek and Egyptian styles on the stele shows the combination of the two traditions in a workable compromise which was well suited to meet the demands of a mixed population in Roman Egypt.

KM 21069: Detail of Jackal Two jackals are incised on each side of the figure, just above the inscription. The ribs of the jackal on the right are clearly shown, an unusual detail. The jackals face each other, an arrangement that is reminiscent of the manner in which they were used on stelae from earlier periods in Egypt. Their tails are unusually short, but this may be attributed to careless workmanship. Jackals are common symbols in Egyptian funerary art, and in fact a jackal appears on a painted piece of plaster from this same assemblage.** The jackal, sacred to Anubis, God of the Dead, is often present in funerary art from a very early time in Egyptian history.

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**Please note: this "assemblage" was created solely for educational purposes. While all of the objects discussed here were excavated at the site of Terenouthis, it must be emphasized that they were not found in a single tomb. A full explanation of this class project is found on the introductory page for this website.

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