GaM Römische Grabstele

History at Noon
Protective Goddess, Private Deification, or Comparison of Virtues? Iconography and Iconology of a Roman Funerary Stele from the Ingelheim Museum
Short Lecture

Presumably due to its high sculptural quality, the gravestone of a Gallo-Roman family from the museum near the Imperial Palace was reused as a sarcophagus lid as early as the Late Roman period. While the fully preserved inscription attests that it was donated by a daughter in honor of her deceased parents, the depiction of the female figure in a long robe in the upper panel remains a mystery to this day—not least because of its state of preservation. To date, researchers have proposed various interpretations, but have neither systematically substantiated them nor supported them with convincing comparative examples. The spectrum of interpretations ranges from a depiction of the grieving daughter offering a sacrifice to her parents to various female deities, as would be expected in the context of funerary altars.
Museum staff member and archaeologist Florine Jäger, M.A., is the first to examine in detail the iconography and iconology of the stele and, based on new photographic images and incorporating regional and supraregional comparative finds, develops a new interpretive approach.

Lecture: Florine Jäger, M.A., Museum at the Imperial Palace
Register by phone by October 19, 2026, at the museum / limited capacity
Admission: €4.00 (includes 1 cup of coffee and 1 sweet treat)
Image: © Ingelheim City Administration