Mythical Wine Duel Carved Into Ancient Coffin Discovered in Israel
A marble Roman sarcophagus featuring a scene of Dionysus and Heracles locked in a mythological drinking contest was unearthed in Caesarea, Israeli archaeologists announced ahead of a public lecture scheduled for June 12. The 1,700-year-old artifact, uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Caesarea Development Corporation, is the first of its kind found in Israel.
“It was like a scene out of a movie,” said Nohar Shahar of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Excavators brushing away sand were stunned as sculpted figures slowly emerged—gods, satyrs, animals, and trees. The final revelation? An entire panel showing Heracles reclining on a lion skin, cup in hand, clearly outmatched by Dionysus.
The sarcophagus, found outside the ancient city’s walls, suggests a wider and richer archaeological zone than previously assumed. After being handed over to conservation specialists, the broken coffin was restored to reveal its full story: a festive procession surrounding the wine god, a symbolic farewell to the deceased.
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“This is the very first time we find the Dionysus and Hercules wine competition scene on a burial coffin in our region,” Shahar said. Typically, such images appear in mosaics, not carved in stone.
Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido called it “a thought-provoking discovery reflecting how life and faith were perceived in the Roman world.”
The find will be presented during “The Feast” conference at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, held in partnership with Tel Aviv University and Bar Ilan University.
