Archaeologists working at the Western Necropolis of Heraclea Sintica have uncovered a significant find: a marble slab dating from the second half of the 2nd century AD, featuring sculpted portraits of an entire family. The artifact offers a glimpse into the appearance of the Heracleans during this period and is a notable example of local funerary art.

The slab, discovered during ongoing rescue excavations led by Prof. Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS), includes an inscription in ancient Greek. The text, deciphered by Senior Assistant Professor Dr. Nikolay Sharankov of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” reads: “.....she did it for her own husband, for her children and for herself during her lifetime.” This indicates that the monument was commissioned by a woman while she was still alive, in memory of her family and herself.

The slab, however, was not found intact. It had been broken into fragments and later reused in a subsequent burial, which resulted in the loss of some of the original detail. Only the final letter of the woman’s name remains visible, leaving her identity unknown.

According to Prof. Vagalinski, this type of funerary monument is typical for the Middle Struma valley and reflects the continuation of local Thracian cultural traditions. Unlike the Greek funerary custom, which rarely includes individual portraits and tends to depict collective scenes such as funeral banquets, Thracian-style monuments often portray the deceased and their relatives directly. This blend of Thracian form with Greek language usage reflects the cultural layering in the region during the Roman period.

The newly uncovered slab adds to the growing understanding of the local population's identity, values, and artistic expression in Roman-era Heraclea Sintica.