Tomb of Menecrates

39°37′00.5″N 19°55′09.6″E / 39.616806°N 19.919333°E / 39.616806; 19.919333

Tomb of Menecrates in Corfu

The Tomb of Menecrates or Monument of Menecrates is an Archaic-period cenotaph in Corfu, Greece, built around 600 BC in the ancient city of Korkyra (or Corcyra).[1][2] The tomb and the funerary sculpture of a lion were discovered in 1843 during demolition works by the British army in the United States of the Ionian Islands who were demolishing a Venetian-era fortress in the site of Garitsa hill in Corfu.[3] The tomb is dated to the sixth century BC.[3]

The sculpture is dated to the end of the seventh century BC and is one of the earliest funerary lions ever found.[3] The tomb and the sculpture were found in an area that was part of the necropolis of ancient Korkyra, which was discovered by the British army at the time.[3] According to an Ancient Greek inscription found on the grave, the tomb was a monument built by the ancient Korkyreans in honour of their proxenos (ambassador) Menecrates, son of Tlasias, from Oiantheia. Menecrates was the ambassador of ancient Korkyra to Oiantheia (modern-day Galaxidi) or Ozolian Locris,[4][5] and he was lost at sea,[6] perhaps in a sea battle.[7] The inscription also mentions that Praximenes, the brother of Menecrates, had arrived from Oiantheia to assist the people of Korkyra in building the monument to his brother.[6][1]

  1. ^ a b Percy Gardner (1896). Sculptured Tombs of Hellas. Macmillan and Company, Limited. p. 200.
  2. ^ Luca Di Lorenzo (9 May 2018). Corfù - La guida di isole-greche.com. Luca Di Lorenzo. p. 205. ISBN 978-88-283-2151-4.
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference AMC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FisherWees1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Germain Bazin (1976). The History of World Sculpture. Chartwell Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-89009-089-3. This lion was found near the tomb of Menekrates in the necropolis of ancient Kerkyra (modern Corfu). Menekrates was a Lokrian, the proxenos of the people of Kerkyra, according to a metric inscription on the grave monument.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Odysseus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ The Building News and Engineering Journal. 1883. p. 722.