A mountain-top throne of the gods
On a 2,134-meter (7,001-foot) peak in the Taurus Mountains, King Antiochus I of Commagene constructed his own tomb-sanctuary, or hierothesion, around 62 BCE. The monument's central feature is a 49-meter-high tumulus, a conical mound of crushed rock with a diameter of 152 meters, which is believed to cover the king's burial chamber. To date, excavations and geophysical surveys have not located the tomb itself within the mound.
The tumulus is flanked by three terraces—East, West, and North—which were ceremonial spaces. The East and West terraces feature colossal seated limestone statues, originally 8 to 9 meters (26–30 ft) tall. Earthquakes or iconoclasm have since toppled their heads, which now rest on the ground before the thrones. The figures represent a syncretic pantheon created by Antiochus to merge Persian and Greek beliefs. The lineup includes Antiochus I himself, the fertility goddess Commagene (Tyche), Zeus-Oromasdes (a combination of the Greek and Persian sky gods), Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes, and Heracles-Artagnes-Ares. Guardian statues of a lion and an eagle stand at each end of the rows of deities.