Zwei Greifen, ihre Krallen greifen eine Urne. Auf einem römischen Sarkophag oder einer Grabkiste in der Nekropole von Manastirine, einem Friedhof außerhalb der Mauern der antiken griechischen und römischen Stadt Salona, in Solin bei Split in Dalmatien, Kroatien.
4256 x 2832 px | 36 x 24 cm | 14,2 x 9,4 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
5. September 2007
Ort:
Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia.
Weitere Informationen:
Dieses Bild kann kleinere Mängel aufweisen, da es sich um ein historisches Bild oder ein Reportagebild handel
Salona, Solin, Dalmatia, Croatia: two griffins - mythical winged creatures combining lions with eagles - hold an urn in their talons in this frieze on the side of a shattered and plundered sarcophagus or tomb chest in a Roman cemetery, the Necropolis of Manastirine, outside the walls of ancient Salona, once the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Griffins, griffons or gryphons, powerful legendary creatures first seen in the ancient art of Persia, combine the king of the beasts with the king of the birds, with leonine bodies, tails and back legs mixed with eagle wings, heads, beaks and talons. In Greco-Roman art, they were often shown guarding treasures and priceless possessions - in this case the remains of a Roman citizen of Salona. The griffin survived into medieval times and in heraldry, it became both a Christian symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine. Salona was founded by Illyrians in the 3rd century BC and was then a Greek city. It became a Roman colony in about 40 BC and was made the Dalmatian provincial capital during the reign of Augustus Caesar. Its cosmopolitan citizens had the use of public baths, an aqueduct, a forum, a theatre and an 18, 000-capacity amphitheatre. Artistic detail on Salona's sarcophagi drawn from Greco-Roman mythology contrasts with early Christian symbols on some tombs commemorating saints and other citizens martyred by the Romans, as well as later generations of Christians who chose to be buried close to their graves. The Roman Empire began to collapse in the 5th century and Salona fell to the Ostrogoths in 493 AD. Although it was later returned to Rome, its citizens fled from attacking Avar forces in 614 AD, leaving ruined buildings and plundered tombs. The excavated site is now an archaeological park. D1133.B3529
