Read About This Ancient Roman Sarcophagus

This Roman marble sarcophagus (stone coffin) was created around the year 200 CE for a wealthy husband and wife, who are depicted reclining on the lid as if they were lying on a couch. In that era, it was a common Roman funeral practice to bury the deceased in a sarcophagus. Since these coffins were meant to be seen and often included images of the deceased, they also functioned as memorials. The couple’s faces are unfinished, perhaps because the sarcophagus was pre-made and had not yet been purchased. Once sold, the buyer would have requested the addition of specific facial features to represent the deceased.

The decoration on the sides of the coffin is carved in high relief, and many figures are almost fully three-dimensional. It depicts mythological scenes from the life of Achilles, the Greek warrior made famous in the tales of the Trojan War recorded in Homer’s epic poem called the Iliad. The adventures of an ancient war hero don’t seem to relate to the lives of a rich Roman married couple, but some tales of gods and heroes were viewed as symbols of overcoming difficulties, even death. They could also show off a person’s knowledge of famous authors.

Examine the Decorations on the Sides of the Sarcophagus

These stone coffins were produced to order or pre-made and decorated with popular mythological scenes. The front side of the sarcophagus (the side from which the couple looks out at us) is carved with a detailed scene of Achilles dragging the corpse of the Trojan hero Hector behind his chariot. This was a shockingly disrespectful act of vengeance, but Achilles eventually returned Hector’s body to his father for burial. The unfinished back side of the sarcophagus shows a battle between Greeks and centaurs, mythological horse-humans whose wise elder, Chiron, was Achilles’s tutor.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Why do you think a Roman couple would want scenes from Achilles’s story on their coffin instead of pictures of their own lives? What does this tell us about what was important to Romans?
• The faces on top of the coffin weren’t finished because it was made ahead of time, before anyone bought it. What does this tell you about how Romans prepared for funerals? How is this similar to or different from funerals today?
• The front of the coffin shows Achilles dragging his enemy Hector’s body behind his chariot, which was considered very disrespectful. Why would someone choose such a violent scene for a funeral monument? What message might they have been trying to send?
• This coffin was decorated like a work of art for people to see. What does this tell you about how Romans thought about death and showing off their wealth or knowledge?

Optional Activity

Listen to an audio clip about this sarcophagus.

A mythical creature that is half human (top) and half horse (bottom).

A famous ancient Greek story-poem about hero Odysseus’s long journey home after the Trojan War. It was told orally for centuries and then written down by about 700 BCE. Attributed to the poet Homer.

A sculpture where figures stick out from a flat background, like a 3D picture on a wall.

A stone coffin, often decorated with carvings, used in ancient times.

The Trojan War was a legendary 10-year battle between Greece and the city of Troy that may have been based on a real war but grew into an epic collection of mythical stories about heroes, gods interfering in human affairs, and dramatic events like the famous trick of hiding soldiers inside a giant wooden horse.