LATE HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

The rider is shown with his cloak flowing out behind him, seated on a high stepping horse, facing a tree with large serpent entwined around the trunk and with a small altar and hound beneath. The left side and most of the free space is carved with a lower relief scrolling, foliate pattern with a bird in the top corner. Votive equestrian hero reliefs are a common type during the late Hellenistic period, honouring the deceased by transforming them into a hero where they are "characterized as larger than life" (p. 225 in Stewart, Greek Sculpture). The serpent is a common symbol in the cult of the dead, perhaps representing the spirit of the deceased. For the subject of equestrian heroes with serpents see LIMC, VI, pp. 1031-1038, nos. 113-253.