Limestone funerary cippus (tomb marker) of Artemidoros

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pillar-like tomb markers were very popular on Cyprus during the Roman period. They usually bear very simple, formulaic inscriptions that address the deceased directly. Here the Greek reads: "Good Artemidoros Kynegos, farewell." The addition of a decorative wreath such as the one seen here is rare; another example is displayed in the Cypriot Galleries on the second floor of the Museum. This cippus is recorded by L. di Cesnola as having been found in a tomb at Idalion with other inscribed markers and numerous glass objects.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art