Private grave, public monument

In the modern world, despite the size of cemeteries, attending to a grave is a very personal, even private, affair. In ancient Athens, however, graves were very much public monuments. The grave of Dexileus, a cavalryman who died in the Corinthian War, was almost certainly erected by his family with the intention that it was seen. Rising high above the Ceramicus along the Sacred Way, Dexileus’ grave monument would have stood out. It appears that the epitaph on the monument was also meant to be read by passersby: Dexileos, son of Lysanios, from Thorikos, was born in the archonship of Teisandros, died in the archonship of Euboulides at Corinth, one of the five horsemen. That the epitaph makes a note of Dexileus’ age when he died – around nineteen or…

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Ancient History (Digital) - 1 Issue, AH 53

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