The Life History of the Sidamara Sarcophagus

When I saw the light of day I was in the middle of tens of big stone boxes similar to me, this was more than one thousand and five hundred years ago. It did not take too much time that I realized that I was huge. I was at the same place more than one thousand five hundred years, yet throughout this one thousand five hundred years I was usually under the ground. However, at the present time I am exhibited in the Hall III of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, which is in the entrance floor. I am coming from the ancient city of Sidamara, which is in Ambararası – Karaman, Turkey.

It was the end of summer 1904 that I saw day light after hundreds of years later. A farmer called İbrahim Gündoğdu found me while digging a well for his wheat in the middle of a wheat field in Ambararası.[1] He tried to open me, but could not, which made me tickle by the way. Although most of my body was still under the ground I was able to see the day light, and that was fantastic! Then İbrahim called Osman Hamdi Bey, who was excavating a site close enough to me, and he revealed me completely. Osman Hamdi Bey tried so hard to move and transport me but he could not, a few days later a guy called Crazy Mustafa was able to transport me from where I was for many years to Konya Train Station with the help of 40 oxes.[2] With train I was transported from Konya to İstanbul at 1904, and more than a hundred years I am in the İstanbul Archaeological Museum. I am not the only “carved big stone box” in the room that I am being exhibited, the room is full of with carved big stone boxes.

During my transportation from Konya to İstanbul I was able to see myself through a mirror, which was just in front of me in the wagon throughout the journey. I really had long time to think about myself in this journey, and I came up with some ideas. Before this experience I thought I am a carved huge box made from stone with a lid on it. I had no idea regarding neither my function nor the carvings on me. Also, before this experience the human figures carved on me were meaningless. On my body I have naked men as well as dressed men, men on the horseback, a sitting man, naked babies, dressed women, wild animals, a door, and columns. Also, the lid is decorated with two human figures without heads that are in couchant position, and dressed.

However, after I analyzed myself in front of the mirror I realized that I am a sarcophagus made from marble, and as stated I am much more bigger, and more decorated than the other sarcophagi, because the other sarcophagi in Hall III are smaller and less decorated. Also, it is for sure that the men on the horseback are hunting something, so it is a hunting scene. The human figures on the lid are different from each other in some ways, so one of them is a man whereas the other one is a woman, these lids are called kline lid since they are in couchant position.[3] The sitting man in one of the long sides is in the elevated position and bigger than other human figures, also he is reading something (PHOTO 1). In addition, the naked babies are cupids, who were the gods of desire and love. In the light of these I came up with some ideas, for instance, the man who is reading and in elevated position can be a philosopher or poet; since he is stressed due to his size and place on the sarcophagus he can be the person who commissioned me. It is very probable that I am from Pre-Christian era, since there is not any symbol of Christianity or Christian elements. Due to my size and high decoration the person who commissioned me should be a very rich person. I believe that the man and woman on the lid are husband and wife. I know nothing about the person(s) inside me, but a man and woman were inside me, and they were husband and wife, who were depicted on the lid. About the time period that I was fabricated I have some ideas as well. Since there is not any Christian element I should be before the 4^th century CE, also I am a columned sarcophagus (PHOTO 2) and the earliest known columned sarcophagus dates back to the 4^th century BCE, thus it is very probable that I was fabricated between 4^th century BCE and 4^th century CE.