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emil NANKOV, daniela STOYANOVA stone door of a roman tomb from the necropolis of heraclea sintica

STONE DOOR OF A ROMAN TOMB

FROM THE NECROPOLIS
OF HERACLEA SINTICA
by Emil NANKOV, American Research Center in Soia
and Daniela STOYANOVA, Soia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

A stone door of a tomb is kept in the

lapidarium of Archaeological Museum in
Sandanski.1 Because the door was unearthed
by looters in the area of the village of Rupite,
municipality of Petrich (the site of the
Hellenistic and Roman town of Heraclea
Sintica),2 there is no further information about
its indspot, or provenance, from one of the
known necropoleis associated with the town.3
Circumstantial evidence suggests, however, that
the necropolis in question could have been the
one located in "Chervenite skali."
Description
he door is made of a single slab with the
following dimensions: 1.09m high, 0.72-0.73m
wide, and 0.06-0.12m thick. he stone is coarsegrained marble,4 at present covered with thick

1 he authors are grateful to Vladimir Petkov,

Director of Archaeological Museum in Sandanski,
for the possibility to publish this monument.
2 On the identiication and the results of the recent
excavations of the site, see Nankov and Vagalinski, in
this volume.

patina (Figs. 1-3). On the front side of the door are

carved four almost identical cassettes.5 hey are
framed by three horizontal and three vertical relief
bands.6 On the bands, hemispherical bosses were
carved in imitation of nail heads, which were part
of the metal plating on the wooden doors that
served as prototypes. hus, the frontal side of the
slab depicts a double wing stone door. he upper
and the lower end of the door are determined by
the height of the two endmost horizontal bands.
he lower horizontal band marks the upper
end, and the higher one marks the lower end.
he hemispherical bosses on these bands are
arranged in single rows, and they are in two rows
on the middle horizontal band. On the vertical
bands, the bosses are in single rows. he distance
between the bosses on the horizontal bands is
shorter, compared to this distance on the vertical

270

com.), and brought in the Archaeological Museum

in Sandanski in 2002, containing the name of certain
Gaius, son of Lucius, a citizen of both Scotussa and
Heraclea (Mitrev 2008, ig. 1). See also footnote 13.

5 he upper right cassette: 37.5cm high, 25.6cm wide;

the upper let cassette: 37.7cm high, 26.2cm wide; the
3 On the location of the necropoleis of Heraclea Sintica, lower right cassette: 36.3cm high, 25.6cm high; the
lower let cassette: 36.3cm high, 26.2cm wide.
see 2002 and Nankov in this volume.
4 Carved from the same marble is a grave
monument, dated to the irst half of 2nd century
AD, from the area of Rupite and perhaps originating
from the same necropolis (Vladimir Petkov, pers.

6 he upper and middle horizontal band: 9.5cm high;

the lower band: 13.5cm high. he right vertical band
is 6.5cm wide, the middle 4.5cm, and the let
6.0cm.

Figure 1. he frontal side of the marble door. (Photo: E. Nankov)

Figure 2. Drawing of the frontal side of the door. Horizontal and vertical section. (Drawing: D. Stoyanova)
Figure 3. he right side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 4. he breaking in the upper right corner of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 5. he breaking in the lower right corner of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)

271

papers of the american research center in sofia, vol. 2

bands. hus, two bosses were carved beneath and

above each cassette. he let vertical band and the
middle one have seven bosses each, while the one
on the right has only ive.7 his smaller number
is due to the carving of the slab's upper and
lower corners, which are shaped to allow for the
tapering axles that ix the door in the threshold
and the lintel of the doorframe. At present, both
axles are broken of,8 but their diameter can be
estimated at approximately 6.5cm (Figs. 4-5). he
remains of lead cramps indicate that additional
metal mechanisms, now missing, were ixed to the
axles in order to strengthen them and facilitate the
door's rotation. At the base of the upper axle on
the door's backside a groove was made, 1 cm wide,
0.5 cm thick, terminating in a circular hole, 2.2
cm in diameter. he function of these carvings is
perhaps related to door's ixture.
he transition between the bands and
the cassettes is achieved by cyma recta proile,
which marks a rectangular ield in relief,
limited by carved eggs, not always separated
from the shell (Figs. 6-9). his indicates that
the work on the decoration of the door was let
uninished. It should be noted that there is no
separating element (dart or spear) between the
eggs. Where shells were carved, they are thick,
with small pointed eggs.
he right side of the door has a slightly
curved proile, while the let one has a rectangular
proile (Figs. 10-11). Despite the patina, it could
be seen that the frontal side and the let lateral
side are well dressed and smoothed, while
the right lateral side, the top side, the bottom
side and the backside have roughly treated
surfaces except for a vertical band on the back,
7 he diameter of the segments along all bands,
except for the middle horizontal one, which is
3.0cm, is 3.5-3.6cm. he segments protrude from the
bands' surfaces ca. 2-3 mm, whereas their volume is
achieved through a slight removal of the area around
them.
8 he uniform patina reveals that the breakings did
not result from the looters' activity. It should be
noted that at some parts on the right side and on the
top and bottom surfaces of the door, there are traces
of red mortar.

272

emil NANKOV, daniela STOYANOVA stone door of a roman tomb from the necropolis of heraclea sintica

immediately next to the let side of the slab (Figs.

12-15). It is well dressed, probably in order to it
tightly into the doorjamb of the entrance frame.
On the let wing of the door, there
are traces of a metal handle and its locking
mechanism. he handle was mounted in a carved
rectangle, set between the relief bosses on the
middle horizontal band (Fig. 16).9 he locking
mechanism was mounted in a small opening,
pierced in the upper cassette of the let wing, next
to the middle vertical band.10 On the backside, the
mechanism was ixed by means of two horizontal
iron clamps, parts of which are still preserved.11
hey are attached to the door by lead.12 he traces
of a shallow bed, carved at the upper end of the
backside, indicate the approximate shape of the
bolt and the fact that it was locked in the lintel of
the doorframe (Figs. 12-13, 17).
Analysis
he stone slab under consideration has the
distinct features of an actual door, placed in a
monumental tomb.13 he decorative scheme of
a stone door with four cassettes is usual for the
stone doors in Asia Minor and hrace between
the 5th and the 3rd century BC ( 2002,
533-542, . I, III-IV; 2005, 251-258;
Stoyanova 2007, 533-535, Pl. II-IIIa-b). At the
same time, the door design is notably diferent
in one respect from the numerous stone doors
of tombs in Macedonia, dated between the 4th
and the 2nd century BC ( 2002, .
II; Stoyanova 2007, 531-533, Pl. I): in the latter
case, there are no lateral vertical bands to shape
rectangular cassettes on the wings.

9 Dimensions: 3.6cm wide, 6.5cm high, 1.9cm deep.

10 Diameter of the hole is 2.6cm.
11 he width of the brace is 2.0cm and 1.0cm thick.
12 Dimensions: 3.5-4.0cm wide, 6.5-8.0cm high.
13 he only available information about a monumental
building is associated with the necropolis at the
"Chervenite skali" locality, where during a ield survey
traces from a rectangular building built with large
blocks have been documented ( 2001,
79-80 [Muletarovo, Site 4]).

Figure 6. Detail of the upper right cassette of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 7. Detail of the upper let cassette of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 8. Detail of the lower right cassette of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 9. Detail of the lower let cassette of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)

273

papers of the american research center in sofia, vol. 2

he door from the necropolis of

Heraclea Sintica displays a number of
peculiarities. he small size of the door suggests
the small dimensions of the entrance it sealed.
his fact, however, is not indicative of the
dimensions of the tomb itself. In hrace, there
are examples of large tombs with very small
entrances, and, in turn, very small stone doors.
Particularly revealing in this respect is the
tomb near the village of Alexandrovo, Haskovo
district ( 2009, 23-25, . 18-21).
A feature worth mentioning is that the
cassettes are almost equal in height. Normally,
the lower cassettes are higher than the upper
ones (cf. 2002, Ta. I-IV; Stoyanova
2007, Pl. I-IIIa-b).
A further peculiarity is the decoration
of eggs in the cassettes. Such decoration is not
typical of the cassettes of stone doors from
hrace and Asia Minor in the Hellenistic
period. Only the marble door from Golyama
Kosmatka tumulus near the town of Shipka,
municipality of Kazanlak, has a painted
Lesbian kymation on the transition between
the bands and the ields of the cassettes (
2005, 73-74, . 108; 2008, 95-97).
he tomb dates from the beginning of the 3rd
century BC,14 and the door was most probably
manufactured elsewhere (Stoyanova, in print).
hese speciics provide grounds to exclude
a date in the pre-Roman times and to narrow
down the chronology to the Roman period, when
the tomb's commissioner, inluenced by earlier
monumental tomb architecture, chose to seal it
with a marble door. he lack of separating elements
between the eggs indicates the schematization of
the Ionic kymation, probably due to the input of the
local workshop that manufactured the door.
Stone doors of this type were not very
popular in tomb architecture of the Roman
period.15 However, during the 2nd-3rd century

14 On the discussion on the chronology of the tomb

in Golyama Kosmatka tumulus near Shipka, see
Saladino 2012-2013; Stoyanov, Stoyanova, in print.
15 In the lapidarium of Museum of Archaeology and

274

emil NANKOV, daniela STOYANOVA stone door of a roman tomb from the necropolis of heraclea sintica

AD in some Roman provinces, it became

fashionable to depict double wing stone doors
on tombstones.16 Such monuments were most
popular in Asia Minor (Waelkens 1986). hirteen
types were distinguished, with Type L being
the most relevant for analysis of the door under
consideration. It depicts a double wing door
without additional elements, such as architraves,
pediments, naiskoi, etc. (Waelkens 1986, 9, Cat.
N. 31-33, 194, 422, 675, 699, Taf. 3, 66, 86, 89).
Apart from their appearance on numerous
tombstones, double wing doors were also
depicted on the narrow sides of stone sarcophagi
from the same region (Waelkens 1986, Cat. N.
689, Taf. 88). Another monument, brought to
the lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum
in Sanadanski along with the door, suggests the
Ethnography in Tekirda there is a marble door with
four cassettes carved on its upper side (Inv. N 1392).
Another marble door of unknown provenience
representing a double wing door can be found in the
lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum in Kilkis
(AEMK 9034), (Bouras 2011, 1245). Four cassettes are
sculpted on the upper side, with relief bands on top
of which decorative bosses imitating the nails to be
found on wooden originals. he ornamental scheme
is diferent from that known from doors used in
Hellenistic Macedonian tombs, including late examples
such as the one from Stavroupolis (Huguenot 2008,
34, Cat. N. 33, 144, Pl. 90.3). hese observations make
it likely that the door should be dated to the Roman
period. It is possible to assume that the latter originates
from the region around Europos, where a Macedonian
type tomb has been documented, with no data about
its chronology (Savvopoulou 1995, 400; 1998, 84, ig.
32; Huguenot 2008, 31, Cat. N. 12, 144, Pl. 90.3). A
fragment of a marble door decorated with relief cassettes
was discovered by chance in the village of Kalamoto,
municipality of Langadas, where ancient Kalindoia has
been located (Archeological museum of hessaloniki,
inv. no. 6980; Rhomiopoulou 1983, 247, ig. 164d). Only
the two upper cassettes are preserved. On the horizontal
and vertical bands incised circles imitate the nail heads.
he transition from the bands to the area of the cassettes
is made by cyma reversa proile. he similarities in the
treatment of the doors from Heraclea Sintica, Kilkis
and Kalindoia irmly indicate a particular area of
distribution, as well as their dating in the Roman period.
16 On tombstones with architectural elements,
especially double wing doors, see Cambi 2013, 83-84,
86-88, ig. 16, 29, 30, 33-34, 36.

10

11

12

13
Figure 10. he let side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 11. he right side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 12. he back side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 13. Drawing of the back, the right and the let sides of the door. Top and bottom sides. (Drawing: D. Stoyanova)

275

papers of the american research center in sofia, vol. 2

emil NANKOV, daniela STOYANOVA stone door of a roman tomb from the necropolis of heraclea sintica

14

15

16

17

18

Figure 14. Lower end of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)

Figure 15. Upper end of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 16. Detail of the openings for the door handle and the locking mechanism on the frontal side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 17. Detail of the locking mechanism on the back side of the door. (Photo: E. Nankov)
Figure 18. Funerary monument with relief depiction of double wing door (?), Archaeological Museum in Sandanski.
(Photo: E. Nankov)

276

inluence of the depictions of double wing stone

doors on funerary monuments, since it most
probably belongs to such a monument (Fig. 18).17
here is a published tombstone with a framed
double wing door in relief, most probably from
the vicinity of Perinthus (Sayar 1998, 424-425,
Taf. L, Abb. 210, Inschrit N. 311). Funerary stelae
with relief doors (Symbolic Door Stelae) were
used in Asia Minor from the Archaic period
(Roosevelt 2006). In the Hellenistic period, a
door in relief and windows were depicted on
the back wall of the funerary chamber of one
of the inest examples of tomb architecture in
Macedonia the so-called Eurydice Tomb in
Vergina (Miller 1993, 12, n. 3). According to
Stella Miller, this rendering of the wall serves
like ghostly invitation to the underworld (Miller
1993, 18). Similar meaning should be attributed
to the popularity of the motif on Roman
funerary monuments. Apparently, this fashion
was not unknown among the population of
Heraclea Sintica.
To support the chronology of the stone
door in the Roman Period, one could adduce
evidence about cult and funerary monuments
in the region that illustrate the activity of local
workshops and travelling stonecutters in 2nd-3rd
century AD.18

necropolis of Heraclea Sintica. Also important

would be the evidence of the use of the same
marble in the architectural decoration and
sculpture in the area of Heraclea Sintica.

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,
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.
, : 1.09,
0.72-0.73, 0.06-0.12.
, ,
(. 1-2, 10-13). .

-, -.

278

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(. 2-3, 6-9). .
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(. 12-13, 16-17).
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.

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IIIII .
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Dr. Emil Nankov
American Research Center in Soia
75 Vasil Petleshkov Street, Soia 1510
E-mail: ehn2@cornell.edu
Assist. Prof. Dr. Daniela Stoyanova
Soia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, Soia 1504
E-mail: daniela.stoyanova.su@gmail.com

279