Introduction T HE PAINTED beams of the chamber of the Tatarlı tomb represent the largest ancient wood painting with figural representations ever found. It is dated to the mid-fifth century BC by stylistic criteria. 1 The wooden tomb chamber survived intact until 1969, when it was partly destroyed by looters and a number of its painted beams were carried off. The remaining wall beams were dismantled during a rescue excavation in September 1970 and brought to the Afyon Museum, where they are currently stored. 2 Re- cently, the two best preserved beams of this tomb chamber (presumably sawn off during the raiding in 1969) were discovered by the author of the present article in the Archäologische Staatssammlung in Munich. 3 The Tatarlı Tumulus is located some 30 km northeast of Dinar, on the road from the royal city of Kelainai to Gordion. It was constructed on a natural, rocky hill ( Fig. 1). The tumulus is six meters high and has a diam- eter of 50 meters. Within it, a dromos (with barrel-shaped roof built of stone) led to a stone chamber (l. 2.50 m; w. 2 m; h. 1.85 m), the interior of which was lined with beams of juniper and cedar of various sizes ( Fig. 2). Four to eight beams lined each of the side walls, and seven beams the gabled roof of the chamber. 4 The slabs were piled on top of each other and connected by various kinds of joinery. The wooden chamber was finished in the interior but left rough on the exterior, which was protected by an outer stone chamber and finally covered with an earth hill. No pavement on the floor has been found. The construction of the Tatarlı tomb gener- ally corresponds to that of the Gordion tumuli. 5 It is the latest example of the typical Phrygian wooden tombs known so far. The stone chamber with dromos, which is lacking in Phrygian tumulus tombs, seems to follow a Ly- dian tradition. 6 The tomb was found in great disorder, but at least its architecture could be documented. According to the excavator, the structure had been altered and reused several times in antiquity. In the tomb chamber itself, only some Roman coins, pottery sherds, and glass fragments were discovered. Judging by the skeletal remains, 15 humans had been buried in the tomb over the course of time. 7 The Tatarlı Tumulus presents us with the only painted, wooden tomb chamber known to be preserved from antiquity. The reason why this cham- ber was found in such excellent condition was probably because it was pro- tected from the pressure of the earth fill above it by the outer stone cham- ber. The round logs over the roof provided additional protection. 8 In the in- terior of the chamber, the faces of the wooden beams were flattened out and smoothed in order to create a surface for painting. As only parts of the paintings are preserved, it is not clear whether the original painting pro- gram adorned the whole chamber or only the upper portions of the walls. Although in some places a preliminary coat of reddish stucco is dis- IMAGING A TOMB CHAMBER: THE ICONOGRAPHIC PROGRAM OF THE TATARLI WALL PAINTINGS 265 L ÂTIFE SUMMERER Imaging a Tomb Chamber: The Iconographic Program of the Tatarlı Wall Paintings 18 Summerer kase 26/6/2008 16:50 ™ÂÏ›‰·265