No Ordinary Gnomes!
So while I was looking for an Ancient Rome Gnome I ran into these epic gnomes! Thank you WTFArtHistory!
The gnome-like heads atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey actually represent a king, some ancient deities, and a hero.
Tomb of King Antiochus I, Commagene Kingdom, 2nd century B.C. Nemrut Dağı, Turkey
In preparation for the afterlife, king Antiochus I of the Commagene Kingdom had an impressive tomb built on the summit of Mount Nemrut to glorify himself and his gods for all eternity. Antiochus’ head can today be seen separated from its body alongside the heads of Apollo/Mithras (the Zoroastrian sun god) and Hercules/Verethraghna (the Zoroastrian dragon-slayer). These dual-deities represent the syncretism in religion in the Commagene Kingdom, a melding of Greek and Persian traditions.
My favorite photo of the site is below.
https://wtfarthistory.com/post/23102743705/no-ordinary-gnomes
To me this just said gnomes are deity’s and hero’s!