Sarcophagus of the legend of Achilles- Tyre

It was customary in Roman-period naoi inscriptions to depict scenes inspired by the Iliad, especially the Trojan War. In this context, many naoi and artifacts with familiar Greek artistic influences were found in the ancient Phoenician cities. In the city of Tyre, a complete necropolis was discovered with hundreds of marble naoi, some of which were transferred to the National Museum in Beirut, while the majority remain in the city and some will be displayed in the Tyre National Museum at the ongoing archaeological site, which is expected, according to our information, to be completed by the end of this year.

After Achilles. One of the most famous legendary heroes in Greek mythology, his name is closely associated with the Trojan War, which took place between the Greeks and the people of Troy.

Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. His mother, Thetis, was a sea nymph. Wishing to make him immortal, Thetis submerged Achilles in the waters of the Styx River – a river that grants anything immortality – but she held him by the heel, so this part was not submerged, becoming his only vulnerable spot, the famous "Achilles' heel."

A seer predicted to the king and queen that their son would have a destiny greater than his father's. Peleus sent Achilles to learn the arts of combat from the centaur and famous teacher Chiron, who also taught Heracles and Ajax.

When the Trojan War broke out between the Trojans and the Greeks, the Greeks initially failed to capture the city. A seer predicted that Troy would not fall unless Achilles fought with the Greek army – at this time, Thetis had hidden Achilles as a girl at the court of Lycomedes, king of Scyros, due to a prophecy that her son would be killed by an arrow of Apollo in the Trojan War. But when the Greeks learned that Achilles would bring them victory, they sent Odysseus, the hero of the famous Odyssey, to find him, and he did. Achilles was presented with two choices: to go to war and become a hero fulfilling his destiny, or to remain unknown forever. Achilles chose of his own free will to join the Greek army.

In a short time, Achilles amazed the Greeks with his skills in combat, achieving tremendous victories over nine years, becoming an inspiration to the Greek soldiers. The prophecy became firmly entrenched in their minds that they would not triumph in the Trojan War unless Achilles fought with them.

When Achilles reached the gates of Troy, his reputation had already spread, and his name alone struck terror into the Trojans. After one of the victories, Agamemnon's army seized one of Apollo's temples and captured Chryseis, the daughter of the city's king, refusing to return her. Achilles tried to persuade him to release her; a quarrel ensued between him and Agamemnon. As a result, Achilles withdrew from battle, and from that moment, the Greek army suffered successive defeats.

When Patroclus (Achilles' friend) saw the repeated defeats of his people, he tried to convince Achilles to return to the fight, but Achilles refused. Patroclus asked Achilles to lend him his armor and chariot to give the impression to the enemies that Achilles had returned to war and to spread fear among them; Achilles agreed. In battle, Hector, the son of the king of Troy, killed Patroclus, thinking he had slain Achilles.

When Achilles learned of the death of his closest friend, he held a grand funeral for him and then decided to take revenge on Hector. He returned to the battlefield, inflicting terrible defeats on the Trojans and fought Hector to avenge his friend. The battle was not equal, and Achilles easily killed Hector – who had vowed that his brother Paris, with Apollo's help, would avenge him and kill Achilles. But Achilles paid no mind.

After killing Hector, Achilles tied the body to his war chariot and dragged it around the city for twelve days. Hector's father pleaded with Achilles to pardon his son, and Achilles agreed, declaring a truce for another twelve days to allow a proper funeral for Hector.

However, Paris, Hector's brother – who was the original cause of the Trojan War – learned about Achilles' heel – his point of vulnerability – and shot an arrow from Apollo's bow into Achilles' heel, striking him down, and thus Paris managed to kill him.

The inscriptions decorating this naos, which is considered one of the artistic masterpieces, recount the legend. In this part of the naos, Hector is depicted kissing Achilles' hand in supplication.