To My Family and Uğraş Uzun - Bilkent University
To My Family and Uğraş Uzun - Bilkent University
To My Family and Uğraş Uzun - Bilkent University
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The necklace found in the sarcophagus is formed of 65 butterfly-shaped<br />
pieces of gold, joined parallel to each other by small rings (Fig. 37). Each piece<br />
has a length of 1.5 cm <strong>and</strong> a width of 0.9 cm. Thus the length of the necklace is<br />
about 60 cm. The total weight of the necklace is 49.9 gr.<br />
The gold earrings from the sarcophagus are in the form of snakeheads<br />
with attached tails (Fig. 38). They weigh 2.72 gr. <strong>and</strong> each earring has a diameter<br />
of 1.2 cm.<br />
The golden amulet ring has an incised st<strong>and</strong>ing female figure, possibly<br />
Demeter (Fig. 39). Coloured stones have been inserted in the small holes on the<br />
surface. The ring weighs 6. 42 gr. <strong>and</strong> has a diameter of 2.3 cm.<br />
4.2.2 Buttons<br />
The button accessories are 29 in number. They are cylindrical shaped,<br />
with a total weight of 13.84 gr. (Fig. 40). Each button has two holes, a length of<br />
1.1 cm <strong>and</strong> a diameter of 0.8 cm.<br />
4.2.3 Coins<br />
The sarcophagus yielded three gold coins. The Hatay Museum<br />
archaeologists cannot tell whether these coins came from the mouths of the<br />
skeletons or not. It was customary to place coins in the mouths of the deceased to<br />
pay the ferrying fee of Charon (Burket, 1985: 192).<br />
The earliest coin belongs to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238-44) (Fig.<br />
41), the second to Gallienus (AD 253-68) (Fig. 42), <strong>and</strong> the third was issued for<br />
Gallienus’s wife Cornelia Salonina (Fig. 43) (Starr, 1982: 183). Beginning in AD<br />
215, <strong>and</strong> especially after 235, aurei no longer appear in hoards on their own, but<br />
are normally found with silver <strong>and</strong> bronze coins <strong>and</strong> other objects. It has been<br />
concluded from this fact that aurei were increasingly becoming prestige objects in<br />
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