A marble sarcophagus is a rare work of art for the Bosporan kingdom. It was created by a Greek sculptor in the 2nd century A.D. and delivered to the northern Black Sea area from Athens. It is covered by a massive lid in the form of a couch with two reclining figures. Three walls of the sarcophagus are decorated with reliefs depicting episodes from the legend of Achilles. In the centre is a scene showing the hero among the daughters of Lycomedes on the island of Scyros. According to the legend, Achilles' mother, Thetis, knowing that her son was destined to die fighting against Troy, tried to save him by hiding him dressed as a woman among the women of Lycomedes' court. The symbolism of this decoration is connected with a burial cult and a reminder that one cannot escape one's fate.This sarcophagus was discovered in the middle of the 19th century on the site of the ancient Myrmekia (near present-day Kerch).