Evaluation of the Symbolic Meaning of the Depictions on the Four Door-Type Grave Stelae at the Uşak Museum

Ahsen Fındık; Münteha Dinç; Emre Taştemür

Makale detayları

Evaluation of the Symbolic Meaning of the Depictions on the Four Door-Type Grave Stelae at the Uşak Museum

Yazarlar:

Ahsen Fındık | Münteha Dinç | Emre Taştemür

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Görsel Sanatlar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Art-Sanat Issue 24, pp.31-59

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356349

pISSN:

2148-3582

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The subject of this study is four door-type grave stelae located in the Uşak Museum. Door-type grave stelae are a type of stelae particularly seen among the middle class of society in antiquity. They reflect the concern to preserve and perpetuate the memory of the deceased through more affordable means, especially for those individuals or family members who could not commission a permanent monument defying time. Instead, they conveyed this intent through the depictions of doors and additional architectural elements such as columns and pediments. The depictions on the door-type stelae show considerable diversity. This diversity in depictions is the result of cultural contact between regions and the choices made by ethnic groups based on what they find appealing. It can be said that the peoples living in the Phrygian region found a way to visibly express and display their identities in relation to their affiliation with the Roman Empire through the door-type grave stelae, which were fashionable at the time. These stelae are also important because they provide information about the social and economic status of the people living in Roman Phrygia and shed light on the burial traditions specific to the region. The stelae registered in the inventory of the Uşak Museum are highly significant works for the academic world due to the above-mentioned reasons. Although the exact spots of these stelae are not known, it is observed that they were acquired by the museum through purchase. The stelae in question have been included in a typology by comparing themboth stylistically and iconographicallywith examples of stelae from different regions that share similar styles and iconography within their respective contexts. In particular, it has been understood that previous studies used in the evaluation of the stelae in Cat. No. 3 and Cat. No. 4 included in this study were insufficient in classifying the stelae according to a specific typology. For this reason, it has been determined that it is more accurate to include door-type stelae in a local typology rather than in old classifications when conducting research on them. Furthermore, examining the symbolic meanings of the stelae is one of the main objectives of this study. It is important to understand the symbolic language of the person or city that the stelae aim to introduce and remind within the artistic, political, and religious contexts. In addition, the study aims to evaluate the community, social environment, and city to which the deceased belonged through the iconography of the stelae included in the scope of the research.

 The subject of this study is four door-type grave stelae located in the Uşak Museum. Door-type grave stelae are a type of stelae particularly seen among the middle class of society in antiquity. They reflect the concern to preserve and perpetuate the memory of the deceased through more affordable means, especially for those individuals or family members who could not commission a permanent monument defying time. Instead, they conveyed this intent through the depictions of doors and additional architectural elements such as columns and pediments. The depictions on the door-type stelae show considerable diversity. This diversity in depictions is the result of cultural contact between regions and the choices made by ethnic groups based on what they find appealing. It can be said that the peoples living in the Phrygian region found a way to visibly express and display their identities in relation to their affiliation with the Roman Empire through the door-type grave stelae, which were fashionable at the time. These stelae are also important because they provide information about the social and economic status of the people living in Roman Phrygia and shed light on the burial traditions specific to the region. The stelae registered in the inventory of the Uşak Museum are highly significant works for the academic world due to the above-mentioned reasons. Although the exact spots of these stelae are not known, it is observed that they were acquired by the museum through purchase. The stelae in question have been included in a typology by comparing themboth stylistically and iconographicallywith examples of stelae from different regions that share similar styles and iconography within their respective contexts. In particular, it has been understood that previous studies used in the evaluation of the stelae in Cat. No. 3 and Cat. No. 4 included in this study were insufficient in classifying the stelae according to a specific typology. For this reason, it has been determined that it is more accurate to include door-type stelae in a local typology rather than in old classifications when conducting research on them. Furthermore, examining the symbolic meanings of the stelae is one of the main objectives of this study. It is important to understand the symbolic language of the person or city that the stelae aim to introduce and remind within the artistic, political, and religious contexts. In addition, the study aims to evaluate the community, social environment, and city to which the deceased belonged through the iconography of the stelae included in the scope of the research.

 The subject of this study is four door-type grave stelae located in the Uşak Museum. Door-type grave stelae are a type of stelae particularly seen among the middle class of society in antiquity. They reflect the concern to preserve and perpetuate the memory of the deceased through more affordable means, especially for those individuals or family members who could not commission a permanent monument defying time. Instead, they conveyed this intent through the depictions of doors and additional architectural elements such as columns and pediments. The depictions on the door-type stelae show considerable diversity. This diversity in depictions is the result of cultural contact between regions and the choices made by ethnic groups based on what they find appealing. It can be said that the peoples living in the Phrygian region found a way to visibly express and display their identities in relation to their affiliation with the Roman Empire through the door-type grave stelae, which were fashionable at the time. These stelae are also important because they provide information about the social and economic status of the people living in Roman Phrygia and shed light on the burial traditions specific to the region. The stelae registered in the inventory of the Uşak Museum are highly significant works for the academic world due to the above-mentioned reasons. Although the exact spots of these stelae are not known, it is observed that they were acquired by the museum through purchase. The stelae in question have been included in a typology by comparing themboth stylistically and iconographicallywith examples of stelae from different regions that share similar styles and iconography within their respective contexts. In particular, it has been understood that previous studies used in the evaluation of the stelae in Cat. No. 3 and Cat. No. 4 included in this study were insufficient in classifying the stelae according to a specific typology. For this reason, it has been determined that it is more accurate to include door-type stelae in a local typology rather than in old classifications when conducting research on them. Furthermore, examining the symbolic meanings of the stelae is one of the main objectives of this study. It is important to understand the symbolic language of the person or city that the stelae aim to introduce and remind within the artistic, political, and religious contexts. In addition, the study aims to evaluate the community, social environment, and city to which the deceased belonged through the iconography of the stelae included in the scope of the research.

 Çalışmanın konusunu Uşak Müzesinde yer alan dört adet kapı tipli mezar steli oluşturmaktadır. Kapı tipli mezar stelleri, özellikle toplumun orta sınıfı arasında görülen, Antik Dönemde ölen kişinin anısının yaşaması ve sürdürülmesi endişesi ile zamana meydan okuyan, kalıcı bir anıt yaptıramayan kişilerinaile üyelerinin daha ekonomik boyutlarda bir kapı betimi ve sütun, alınlık gibi ek mimari unsurların da betimleme aracılığıyla gösterildiği stel tipidir. Kapı tipli steller üzerindeki betimlemelerin oldukça çeşitlilik gösterdiği görülmektedir. Bu çeşitlilik, bölgeler arasındaki kültürel temas ve etnik grupların kendilerine ilgi çekici gelen seçimleri sonucunda oluşturulmuştur. Frig bölgesinde yaşayan halkların dönemin modası olan kapı tipli mezar steli ile Roma İmparatorluğuna aidiyet bağlamında kimliklerini görünür bir şekilde ifade etmenin ve sergilemenin bir yolunu buldukları söylenebilir. Söz konusu steller, Roma Dönemi Frigyasında yaşayan insanların sosyal ve ekonomik durumları hakkında bilgi vermeleri ve bölgeye özgü ölü gömme geleneklerine ışık tutmaları sebebiyle de önemlidir. Uşak Müzesi envanterine kayıtlı olan steller yukarıda sayılan sebeplerden dolayı bilim dünyası için oldukça önemli eserlerdir. Bu stellerin buluntu yerleri kesin olarak bilinmemekle birlikte satın alma yolu ile müzeye teslim edildikleri görülmektedir. İncelenen steller hem stilistik hem de ikonografik açıdan kendi bağlamları içinde farklı bölgelerden benzer stil ve ikonografiye sahip stel örnekleri ile karşılaştırılarak bir tipoloji içerisine dâhil edilmişlerdir. Özellikle çalışmada yer verilen Kat. No. 3 ve Kat. No. 4teki stellerin tipolojik değerlendirmesinde yararlanılan geçmiş yıllardaki çalışmaların, stellerin belirli bir tipolojiye göre sınıflandırılmasında yetersiz kaldığı anlaşılmıştır. Bu sebeple kapı tipli steller üzerinde yapılacak çalışmalarda bu stellerin eski sınıflandırmalara dahil edilmesinin yerine yerel bir tipolojiye dâhil edilmelerinin daha doğru olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Ayrıca çalışmada stellerin sembolik anlamlarının incelenmesi çalışmanın asıl amaçlarından biridir. Stellerin üzerinde tanıtılmak ve hatırlatılmak istenen kişinin ya da kentin sanatsal, siyasi ve inanç bağlamında sembolik dilinin anlaşılması önem taşımaktadır. Çalışma kapsamındaki stellerin ikonografisi ile ölen kişinin mensup olduğu topluluk, sosyal çevre ve kentin değerlendirilmesi de amaçlanmaktadır.

Makale detayları

Evaluation of the Symbolic Meaning of the Depictions on the Four Door-Type Grave Stelae at the Uşak Museum

Yazarlar:

Ahsen Fındık | Münteha Dinç | Emre Taştemür

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Görsel Sanatlar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Art-Sanat Issue 24, pp.31-59

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356349

pISSN:

2148-3582

Usak

Door-Type Grave Stele

Iconography

SymbolismUşak

Kapı Tipli Mezar Steli

İkonografi

Sembolizm

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Ahsen Fındık | Münteha Dinç | Emre Taştemür

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Görsel Sanatlar (Diğer)

Dergi: Art-Sanat Issue 24, pp.31-59

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 12/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001356349

pISSN: 2148-3582

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Ahsen Fındık | Münteha Dinç | Emre Taştemür

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Görsel Sanatlar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Art-Sanat Issue 24, pp.31-59

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001356349

pISSN:

2148-3582