Goat herder finds Roman funerary stele

"A herder tending to his goats in the highlands of southwestern Turkey's Mugla Province discovered a Roman funerary stele in the shape of an altar with figural reliefs. The front of stele features a relief of a man and woman under an arch, likely a married couple, with a Greek inscription underneath. Reliefs of two different types of wreaths are carved into each of the sides."

"Archaeologists were dispatched to examine it and they recognized it as an object of historical significance because of its imagery, inscription and completeness. They also recognized how heavy it is an estimated 300 kilos (660 lbs) and therefore how difficult it would be to remove it from the rugged hills and schlep it over rough terrain 45 minutes to the nearest road and thence to the museum."

A herder found a Roman funerary stele shaped like an altar with figural reliefs in the highlands of Mugla Province, southwestern Turkey. The front depicts a man and woman under an arch, likely a married couple, with a Greek inscription beneath and different wreath reliefs on each side. The herder reported the marker to the Fethiye Museum Directorate. Archaeologists identified the piece as historically significant, noted its estimated weight of 300 kilos, and buried it temporarily while installing motion-detector cameras. A team wrapped and carried the stone seven hours down steep terrain to the road for transport. The stele likely dates to the first–third centuries C.E. and its elaborate reliefs and inscription provide notable epigraphic and social-historical information.

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