Alexander Sarcophagus with Bas-Relief Carvings

This Hellenistic marble sarcophagus (late 4th c. BC), carved from Pentelic marble, shows a stag hunt where a nude Macedonian—likely Alexander—grapples the animal as a Persian strikes from the right. Though named after Alexander, it was made for Abdalonymus, king of Sidon. Its vivid battle and hunting reliefs fuse Greek naturalism and Eastern motifs, expressing royal power, cultural ideals, and Alexander’s unifying vision.