09 · Historical person · Persian diplomacy

Eshmunazar

A king of Sidon in stone brought from Egypt

The sarcophagus of the king of Sidon combines stone of Egyptian origin and a long Phoenician inscription.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

AI-recreated portrait of Eshmunazar II, head and shoulders on black background; hypothetical appearance. — **Eshmunazar II · AI-RECREATED PORTRAIT · HYPOTHETICAL APPEARANCE**
Reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
AI-recreated portrait of Eshmunazar II. The clothing draws on the historical context of the entry; the face, age represented, colouration and unspecified details are interpretive. It is not an authentic photograph nor a scientific facial reconstruction.
Tracekeepers

**Eshmunazar II · AI-RECREATED PORTRAIT · HYPOTHETICAL APPEARANCE**
Reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
AI-recreated portrait of Eshmunazar II. The clothing draws on the historical context of the entry; the face, age represented, colouration and unspecified details are interpretive. It is not an authentic photograph nor a scientific facial reconstruction.
Tracekeepers

History and context

The anthropoid sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II was carved from a dark rock of Egyptian origin, but its extensive inscription speaks in Phoenician. The king of the Sidonians recalls his mother Amoashtart, lists sanctuaries and protects his tomb with a curse.

It also mentions territories granted by the ‘lord of kings’, a sign that local autonomy coexisted with Achaemenid power. The piece is not a casual decorative mix: it condenses alliances, urban religion and dynastic legitimacy.

The inscription integrates Amoashtart into the king’s legitimacy and lists cult works, so the tomb also preserves an urban programme. Funerary memory speaks of the city the deceased wished to leave ordered.

The mention of the ‘lord of kings’ and granted territories places Sidon within the Achaemenid empire without erasing the local voice. Egyptian form, Phoenician language and Persian framework coincide in an object that does not fit a single cultural label.

Evidence and interpretation

Documented fact: the Louvre dates the sarcophagus to c. 525–475 BCE, identifies the king and his Phoenician inscription, and notes the Egyptian form and stone. Interpretation and caution: the text presents him as died young, but does not allow fixing an exact age with certainty nor reconstructing his full biography. Documented expansion: The Louvre preserves the anthropoid sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II, its extensive Phoenician inscription, the regal identification and the Egyptian origin of form and stone. Expanded interpretation and caution: The text is dynastic self-representation: it does not allow fixing an exact age of death, measuring Sidon’s autonomy nor reconstructing the full Achaemenid administration.

AI-recreated portrait of Eshmunazar II. The clothing draws on the historical context of the entry; the face, age represented, colouration and unspecified details are interpretive. It is not an authentic photograph nor a scientific facial reconstruction.

Catalogue facts

Narrative date: c. 525–475 BCE
Location: Sidon, modern Lebanon; stone from Egypt
Material: Amphibolite/dark basalt · Phoenician inscription
Context: Sidonese royalty within the Achaemenid Empire
Curatorial reading: The documented fact and its interpretation appear separately in the evidence block.
Evidence: Archaeological context, materiality and chronology.
Caution: Do not convert stylistic diffusion or contact into political domination.
Documentary coverage: 3 museum, heritage, primary corpus or research sources for this stop.

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026.

The inscription changed position during its execution

The sarcophagus preserves a work decision that normally disappears from the finished object. According to the Louvre, an attempt was made initially to place the inscription in the area of the box beneath the head; the space proved insufficient and that location was abandoned. The long version was engraved on the lid. The portrait incorporates a false beard and a broad collar ending in falcon heads. Thus, the text was not added to a neutral surface: it had to be accommodated to a stone body with a pre-existing visual organisation, adjusting the written memory to the available dimensions.

Museum · Musée du Louvre · Sarcophagus of Eshmunazor, AO 4806Access recorded: September 5, 2026.

Reference images and provenance

No verifiable entrance photograph is preserved for this representation. You may consult its documentation, but we would not present its face as an exact reconstruction.

Additional visual documentation

A cited publication does not establish which image was used to create the character.

Location and territory

LOCATED SITE

Sidon · LebanonMarker of the historic city.

Where it is held

Musee du Louvre

Item or group in the record · Documented collection

Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II · AO 4806.

The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.

Sources and references

Expand this information and consult its sources

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