An Honorary Votive Relief from Laconia

Abstract

Of great typological and iconographical interest is an honorary relief stele in the Archaeological Museum of Sparta inv. no. 2597 (Pl. 1: 1-2). The stele was found by chance in the area of the former municipality of Pharis, close to Sparta, and is carved in dark gray Laconian marble, most probably from mount Taygetos.
The stele is horizontally divided in two equal zones. Two rows of three men walking to the right are depicted. Beardless and barefooted, they have short hair and bulky bodies wrapped in himatia long to under their knees in the type IV of himation-men of A. Lewerentz. They have nothing in their hands with the exception of the first figure to the left of the upper section which seems to be holding an unfortunately indiscernible object. The final impression given by the whole representation is that of six men walking rhythmically to the right as if participating in to a ritual procession. Stylistic comparisons with other Laconian reliefs show that the stele should be dated between the end of the Hellenistic – beginning of the Roman imperial period, 1st century BC – 1st century AD. The identification of the six older men commemorated by this stele is not an easy task. Nevertheless, they may be identified with Spartan officials of this late period of Spartan history, presumably with patronomoi, though other local officials cannot be excluded.