THE TOMBSTONE OF LENAIOS A SACRIFICE RECOGNIZED

Tombstones offered people in the ancient world both a way to remember the dead and to celebrate their greatest achievements in life. One second-century-BC Greek tombstone from Smyrna, dedicated to Lenaios, son of Artemidoros, calls on those reading the inscription to recognize his military efforts while he was alive, while also depicting the dead man in a non-martial banqueting scene.

By Jo Ball

Military service was an important facet of identity in the ancient Greek world and could be mentioned on the tombstones of those who felt it to be a central part of their biography, particularly if they had died in battle. Although inscriptions often contain frustratingly little detail about the nature of their service or even which war it might be associated with, a reference to soldiering on any tombstone can, nonetheless, provide a fascinating snapshot of warfare in the ancient world. Lenaios’ life and death The tombstone contains very little biographical information about Lenaios beyond his name and that of his father, suggesting it was not who he was which was important to commemorate, but what he had done in life. The tombstone has been cautiously dated to 150—100 BC. At the top…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XVII.3

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