A 2,500-year-old stone coffin with well-preserved colour illustrations from Homer's epics has been discovered by construction workers in western Cyprus, archaeologists said.
"It is a very important find," said Pavlos Flourentzos, director of the Cyprus government's antiquities department. "The style of the decoration is unique - not so much from an artistic point of view, but for the subject and the colours used."
Only two other similar painted sarcophagi have been discovered in Cyprus. One is housed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the other in the British Museum in London, but their decoration is more faded.
The limestone sarcophagus was found last week in a tomb near the village of Kouklia, in the coastal Paphos district. The tomb, which probably belonged to an ancient warrior, was looted during antiquity.
Mr Flourentzos said the coffin, painted in red, black and blue on a white background, dated to 500 BC, when Greek cultural influence was gaining a firm hold on the eastern Mediterranean island.
"The style is very simple, it has little to do with later classical prototypes and rules," he said. Experts believe the ornate decoration features the hero Ulysses in scenes from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, which were both hugely popular throughout the ancient Greek world.
In one large painting illustrating the Odyssey, Ulysses and his comrades escape from the cave of the blind Cyclops Polyphemos, by hiding under the monster's flock of sheep. Another scene depicts a battle between Greeks and Trojans from the Iliad. "Ulysses, who was known for his archery skills, is taking on a whole army emerging from the gates of Troy on horseback and in chariots," Mr Flourentzos said.
Archaeologists suggested the scenes hint at the status of the coffin's occupant. "Why else take these two pieces from Homer and why deal with Ulysses? Maybe this represents the dead person's character - who possibly was a warrior," Mr Flourentzos said.
Reflecting a long oral tradition loosely based on historic events, Homer's two epics were probably composed around 800 BC and written down in the 6th century BC.
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