A rare 1,700 –year-old marble Roman coffin bearing a mythological scene of a drinking contest has been unearthed in the Israeli coastal town of Caesarea, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday.
The sarcophagus, which was uncovered during an excavation in April in the Mediterranean locality known for its large Roman amphitheater and its historic port, is the first of its kind to be discovered in Israel, the state-run archaeological body said.
A drinking contest between Dionysus (or Bacchus), the god of wine, and Heracles (Hercules), the mythological hero, is sculpted on the coffin.
“It was like a scene out of a movie,” recounted Nohar Shahar and Shani Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists. “We began removing the soft, light sand of the dune, when suddenly the tip of a marble object popped up.
“The entire excavation team stood around excitedly, and as we cleared more sand, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing—parts of a sarcophagus upon which figures were carved: gods, animals and trees,” the archaeologists said.
“In fact, in the very last hour of the excavation came the climax—an entire intact side of the sarcophagus, which was buried in the sand, was uncovered, which portrays the scene of Hercules lying on a lion skin, holding a cup in his hand.”
The broken sarcophagus was subsequently restored by conservationists.
“It seems that the figures are not only celebrating—they are in fact accompanying the dead on his last journey, when drinking and dancing are transformed into a symbol of liberation and transition to life in the next world,” Shahar said. “This sarcophagus offers an unusual perspective of the idea of death—not as an end, but as the beginning of a new path.”
Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said, “This is a thought-provoking discovery reflecting how life and faith were perceived in the Roman world.”
The extraordinary find will be made public on Thursday at an academic conference at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv.
