Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 120 F
City Siege; Trysa Heroon West Wall

Limestone
Architectural Relief
W (total) 618 cm

First discovered in 1841 but soon forgotten, the Trysa heroon was rediscovered in 1881 by Otto Benndorf, then Professor of Classical Archaeology in Vienna. In 1882/83 the friezes of the heroon were transferred to Vienna.
Austria, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Late Classical, ca. 370 BC

Preservation:
The entire surface of the relief is heavily weathered, many figures are greatly worn and abraded.

Description:
The relief shows three warriors with helmets and round shield at the foot of a wall. They are all depicted in left profile, half kneel on the rocky terrain, and have raised their shields horizontally upwards.

Discussion:
Depicted is a small group of assailants attacking the city wall. Heavily outnumbered, they try to protect themselves with their shields from the hail of missiles hurled from above. For the Trysa heroon in general see also A 119a and A 120a.

Bibliography:
O. Benndorf and G. Niemann, Das Heroon von Gjölbaschi-Trysa (Vienna 1889) esp. 51; 123-129 pls. 11; 112-113 The basic first publication of the monument.
F. Eichler, Die Reliefs des Heroon von Gjölbaschi-Trysa (Vienna 1950) esp. 61-63 pls. 18-21 Detailed guide with a description of the monument and the individual reliefs.
R. Noll, Das Heroon von Gjölbaschi-Trysa. Ein fürstlicher Grabbezikr griechischer Zeit in Kleinasien [= Führer durch das Kunsthistorische Museum Nr. 16] (Vienna 1971) esp. p. 5 A short guide with a detailed description of the various reliefs.
W. A. P. Childs, "Prolegomena to a Lycian Chronology, II: The Heroon from Trysa" (RA 2 1976) 281-316 Gives a detailed stylistic comparison between the reliefs from Trysa and sculptures from the Greek mainland and the rest of Lycia. The Heroon at Trysa is dated to ca. 370 BC.
W. A. P. Childs, The City-Reliefs of Lycia [= Princeton Monographs in Art and Archaeology XLII] (Princeton N. J. 1978) esp. 13-14; 31-36; 78 pls. 1.2; 13.2-17 Shows that the siege scene from Trysa forms part of the typical iconography of Lycian reliefs and ultimately derives from Near Eastern, particularly Assyrian sources that were slightly adapted under Greek influence.
C. Bruns-Özgan, Lykische Grabreliefs des 5. Und 4. Jahrhunderts v. Chr. [= IstMitt Beiheft 33] (Tübingen 1987) 56-81; 256-257 pls. 9-11.2; 12-13.2 Argues that the friezes from Trysa show an advanced style of ca. 370 BC and are influenced by the iconography of Greek paintings of the Classical period, probably through the use of established pattern books.
B. S. Ridgway, Fourth-Century Styles in Greek Sculpture (London 1997) esp. 88-94 pls. 24-25 Good summary and bibliography of previous research on the heroon.