A GRAVE STELE FROM NOTION

This article deals with a gravestele which was found in Notion and now is in the Efes Archaeological Museum. The stele depicts a draped seated woman on a chair and draped a standing man between two servants. The upper parts of the stele are broken off. All of the figures on the stele were carved as high relief like freestanding statues. This type of stelai has been manufactured between 3^rd and 1^st centuries B.C. in Ionian workshops, such as Smyrna and Ephesos. The Notion stele has similar features with the ones produced in these centers. Liveliness of standing figures, as well as the representation of the fabric under himation demonstrates second century Hellenistic peculiarities. These features also recall the figures on the altar reliefs of Magnesia Artemis and the altar reliefs at Pergamon. The postures and richly carved himations of the standing man and the seated woman, as well as, the representation of woman’s hand under the mantle recall second century Hellenistic features. Stylistic comparison of the figures on the Notion stele with other free standing statues and stelai producted in same period shows that the stele might have been carved by an artist who was influenced by workshops in Smyrna and Samos. Stylistically the stele can be dated to the 2^nd century BC.