On view

Ancient Mediterranean Art

Gravestone of Tryphe,

ca. 150–100 BCE

Greek
Hellenistic, from Seleuceia Pieria
y1992-48

INSCRIPTION:

ΤΡΥΦΕΙ ΗΓΙΟΥ
ΑΛΥΠΕ ΧΑΙΡΕ

To Tryphe [daughter or wife] of Egias
Farewell, you who are now without pain

This grave relief marks the loss of a woman, Tryphe, who is presented here seated within a rounded niche in a pose that is reminiscent of the famous statue of the goddess Tyche of Antioch, which had been erected shortly after the founding of the city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes in 300 BCE. While her pose remains the same as the colossal prototype, other elements have been transformed, such as positioning Tryphe on a plain stool, as if reminding viewers of her humanity even as her posture elevates her to the level of the goddess of fortune.

More About This Object

Information

Title
Gravestone of Tryphe
Dates

ca. 150–100 BCE

Medium
White marble
Dimensions
60.5 x 29.3 x 17.6 cm (23 13/16 x 11 9/16 x 6 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Committee for the Excavation of Antioch to Princeton University
Object Number
y1992-48
Place Excavated

Turkey, Seleuceia Pieria

Culture
Period
Materials

Excavated by the Princeton-led team at Antioch-on-the-Orontes, present-day Antakya, Turkey, 1931-1939; with the Museum since 1939