In Turkey, a 1,900-Year-Old Coffin Lid Has a Silenus Face Unmatched Among Known Terracotta Sarcophagi

Archaeologists in western Turkey have identified a fragmentary Roman-era terracotta sarcophagus with a small Silenus head on its lid. According to the study, the relief has no match among known cylindrical terracotta sarcophagi in Anatolia. The researcher dates the piece tentatively to the 1st or 2nd century AD, which is roughly 1,900 years ago.

Where it came from

The fragments came from Musalla, an agricultural area south of the ancient city of Attouda in Denizli Province. Surveys found them in 2023. Farming had damaged the container, and the burial context was disturbed. Nobody recovered grave goods or other datable material with it. Six fragments survive, including body sections and the lid, and they now sit in the Denizli Museum.

What the sarcophagus looks like

The container was cylindrical, with an estimated original diameter of 55 to 60 cm. Its clay is reddish and contains mica and limestone particles. The lid measures about 33 by 30.5 cm.

The Silenus face

The head stands 4.8 cm high. It has a bald forehead, prominent round eyes, a broad nose, deeply carved lips and a short beard. Those exaggerated features resemble Silenus masks in Greek and Roman art. The study suggests the relief may have served as a symbolic guardian of the dead, perhaps placed above the deceased’s head. The damage prevents certainty about its original position. Archaeologists previously recovered a separate Silenus terracotta head from a tomb in the same necropolis.

A mark from the workshop?

An incised Greek letter Beta, about 7 cm high, also appears on the piece. It possibly identifies the maker or workshop, although its meaning remains uncertain. The study suggests regional workshops probably made such sarcophagi, and a craftsperson could have personalized this one.

Source: Associate Professor Bilge Yılmaz Kolancı, Pamukkale University, Cedrus vol. 14, pp. 309 to 322 (2026), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22305506. Reported by Arkeonews on 19 to 20 October 2026.