Grave column (cippus)

Grave column resting on a high Doric base. The central conch is decorated with the sculptured head of a woman bearing a pair of earrings and two circular necklaces. This is a representative example of a class of column-shaped grave monuments (cippi), with base and capital, which are found commonly as grave markers from the Late Hellenistic to the Late Roman period in several parts of Cyprus, such as Limmasol (Amathus), Larnaca (Kition), Famagusta (Ammohostos) and Kyrenia. In addition to relief decorative bands, colonnettes of this type often carry Greek inscriptions mentioning the name of the deceased, addressed with the standard greeting 'ΧΑΙΡΕ' (farewell) and sometimes the name of the father or the spouse. Expressions of condolence are also frequent, such as 'ΟΥΔΕΙΣ ΑΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ' ("no one is immortal").