Saved from an illegal excavation, a decorated sarcophagus uncovered last September in Ashkelon, Israel, is now safely in the custody of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). It depicts a reclining man with hair curled in a Roman style—possibly representing the deceased—on the cover of the sarcophagus. The sides of the 8-foot-long, 2-ton sarcophagus feature bulls’ heads, naked cupids, wreaths and grape clusters, as well as a depiction of Medusa, the Greek monster (or Gorgon) with snakes for hair and a face so hideous that whoever gazed upon it was turned to stone. It was believed that a representation of […]
