Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a striking Roman-era marble sarcophagus — the first of its kind discovered in the country — bearing elaborate carvings of a mythological drinking contest between the wine god Dionysus and the hero Hercules. The find, which dates to the 2nd or 3rd century C.E., was made during a recent excavation in Caesarea, along Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
The sarcophagus, buried under a sand dune, was discovered during excavations led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), under the initiative of the Caesarea Development Corporation. The discovery will be formally presented on Thursday, June 12, at a lecture during “The Feast,” an academic conference at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, in collaboration with the IAA, Tel Aviv University, and Bar-Ilan University.
“It was like a scene out of a movie,” said Nohar Shahar and Shani Amit, archaeologists with the IAA. “We were removing soft sand when suddenly, the tip of a marble object emerged. As we cleared further, we realized we were revealing a carved sarcophagus, decorated with gods, animals, and trees. The climax came in the very last hour when we uncovered an intact side showing Hercules reclining on a lion skin, cup in hand.”
The sarcophagus fragments were transferred to the IAA’s conservation labs, where conservators and architects meticulously restored and reassembled the pieces. The result is a vivid portrayal of Dionysus surrounded by satyrs, maenads, and other mythological figures — including Hermes, Pan, lions, and tigers — forming a lively procession accompanying the dead into the afterlife.
“This is the first time that the specific motif of the Dionysus-Hercules drinking contest has been identified on a burial coffin in this region,” said Shahar. “Though depictions of Dionysian processions are known from sarcophagi of the Roman world, this contest scene is more commonly found in mosaics — like those at Zippori or Antioch. Here, revelry becomes a metaphor, with wine and dance symbolizing a joyous passage into the next world.”
As for who wins the mythic drinking duel? “Hercules is shown sprawled and unable to stand — the answer is clear,” Shahar said with a smile.
The sarcophagus was found outside Caesarea’s well-known city walls, in an area not previously thought to be part of the ancient urban center. “This suggests the city’s boundaries — and its burial grounds — were more extensive and richer in finds than we previously understood,” Shahar added.
