Hypogeum of Sasan

Discovery and Architecture

The Hypogeum of Sasan, designated Hypogeum no. 6, is situated in Palmyra’s southeastern necropolis. It was excavated in 1958 by the Syrian National Archaeological Mission under the direction of Nasib Saliby and Obaid Taha. The tomb was found in an exceptionally good state of preservation and contained one of the largest documented groups of funerary sculpture recovered from a single Palmyrene hypogeum.

The underground monument is oriented east–west. Its architectural plan takes the form of an inverted T with two crossbars. These transverse sections create four lateral exedrae. A fifth and principal exedra lies on the central axis of the entrance, while a sixth, particularly deep and narrow exedra was cut into the northern wall on the right side of the vestibule. Burial bays were constructed in all six exedrae, although sculpted funerary closures were found only in the five inner exedrae.

The architectural documentation records 63 burial compartments or loculi. Not all were used, indicating that the tomb’s planned capacity exceeded the number of burials ultimately placed within it. The loculi were intended to receive individual bodies and were generally sealed by limestone slabs carrying portraits and, frequently, inscriptions naming the deceased.

Plan of the Hypogeum of the Families of Sasan and Mattai (Hypogeum no. 6), southeastern necropolis of Palmyra. – Reproduced after Anna Sadurska and Adnan Bounni, Les sculptures funéraires de Palmyre (1994), Plan V.

Foundation and Family History

No foundation inscription has survived. Consequently, neither the identity of the original founder nor the precise date of construction can be established directly. The tomb’s history has instead been reconstructed from its funerary inscriptions, the placement of the burials, three genealogical sequences, and the stylistic development of the portraits.

Although the monument is conventionally called the Hypogeum of Sasan, the earliest phase appears to have been associated with the descendants of Mattai, surnamed Rabbā. His sons Malkû and Belšûrî, together with their wives, were probably among the earliest members of the family buried there. Their portraits occupied the first lateral exedra on the right. Belšûrî received the place of honor at the rear of the exedra and may have founded either that exedra or the original hypogeum.

During the following generation, Amta, daughter of Malkû, married Belšîrî, son of Sasan. This marriage may have introduced the descendants of Sasan into the tomb. The family subsequently became numerous and occupied the principal exedra and the second exedrae on both sides of the monument.

The original family line descended from Mattai appears to have ended around the middle of the second century. The descendants of Sasan then became the principal owners of the hypogeum. A later branch, descended from Sasan son of Bôrrefā, occupied—or possibly commissioned—the first exedra on the left. Members of another family associated with a man named Lišamš were buried in the same area, although their precise relationship to the other families remains uncertain.

The tomb remained in use through the second century and into the early third century. The last male descendants of the Sasan family appear to have died young and probably without children during the first quarter of the third century.

Chronology

Most of the funerary sculptures belong to the second century AD, but the history of the hypogeum extends from the late first century into the early third century.

The principal fixed chronological point is an epitaph dated AD 181/182 commemorating two brothers. Because no foundation text survives and this is the tomb’s only securely dated inscription, the remaining chronology depends upon genealogical reconstruction and stylistic comparisons among the portraits. Dates assigned to individual sculptures should therefore be understood within this broader evidentiary framework.

The Funerary Collection

The assemblage comprises 51 recorded sculptures:

• Forty-four funerary busts.
• Six funerary stelae.
• One half-length figure related to abbreviated funerary banquet compositions.

The portraits include men, women, children, married couples, siblings and one priest. Many carry Palmyrene Aramaic inscriptions recording the deceased’s name, parentage and, occasionally, extended genealogy. Together, these inscriptions make it possible to follow several generations and to reconstruct changes in ownership and burial space within the hypogeum.

The collection is notable for its breadth and stylistic variety. Several portraits demonstrate refined workmanship, carefully arranged drapery and individualized facial modeling. Others follow more standardized workshop conventions, suggesting that the tomb accumulated its sculptural decoration gradually and through the work of different sculptors or workshops.

Despite the exceptional number of portraits, the material does not necessarily indicate that the families belonged to Palmyra’s highest civic elite. No sculpted funerary bed was recorded, women generally appear with comparatively limited jewelry, and only one priestly portrait was identified. These characteristics have been interpreted as evidence of a family group of relatively modest civic standing but capable of maintaining a substantial multigenerational tomb.

Several unusual details distinguish the collection. Two women hold a circular object furnished with seven knobs, interpreted as a rotating domestic calendar associated with the seven-day week and with household authority. Another portrait depicts a boy wearing only one earring. A double portrait of a brother and sister uses differences in scale and placement to express their respective positions within the family.

Museum Display and Documentation

A substantial group of sculptures from the hypogeum was displayed in Room V of the Palmyra National Museum—the second room on the left after entering the museum—and remained in position until last documented in 2015, shortly before the ISIS intervention.

The present condition of the hypogeum and any surviving architectural or sculptural installations cannot currently be independently confirmed.

History of Research

The principal publication devoted specifically to the monument is Nasib Saliby’s study, L’hypogée de Sassan fils de Malê à Palmyre. It presents the excavation, architecture and archaeological context, accompanied by eight plans, sections and drawings and an extensive photographic record. Klaus Parlasca contributed a bibliographical appendix., it was published in 1993.

Anna Sadurska and Adnan Bounni subsequently incorporated the complete sculptural assemblage into Les sculptures funéraires de Palmyre. Their publication presents the tomb’s architectural organization, genealogical reconstruction and catalogue of 51 sculptures as Cats. 44–94. This is the principal source currently being used for the individual VMS museum cards.