The Characteristics Of The Roman Sarcophagus

Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons is the title of a sarcophagus that is currently located in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This sarcophagus is quite massive with an overall weight of 5511.5 pounds and with an overall dimension of about 40 ½ inches long, 91 ½ inches tall, and 50 ½ inches at the base of the end. The material that was used to create this sarcophagus is marble. The name of the artist is unknown, however, it is stated that he is Roman. This sarcophagus is dated back to 140–170 AD, which indicates that it was created during the Roman High Empire. In this paper, I will discuss from which region this sarcophagus probably came from, and how the choices of expensive material, elaborate decorative details, …show more content…
The sarcophagi that were produced in Rome are known as Roman Metropolitan sarcophagi, the sarcophagi that were produced in Athens are known as Attic sarcophagi, and the sarcophagi that were produced in Asia Minor are known as Asiatic sarcophagi. The Metropolitan Roman sarcophagi were usually in rectangular shape with a flat lid. Most of the lids have a full sculptural portrait of the person buried inside. This type of lid was inspired by the Etruscans. These types of sarcophagi were usually decorated only on the front and two sides due to the fact they were placed against a wall in a mausoleum. The Attic sarcophagi are also usually rectangular in shape. The lids, however, are mostly the shape of a gabled roof. All four sides of the sarcophagi are decorated, and there are also ornamental carvings on the bases and edges of the sarcophagi. The Asiatic sarcophagi are also rectangular in shape, and the lids are also mostly in the shape of gabled roof. However, they do differ from the Attic sarcophagi by having a doorway motif in one side and colonnades in all four sides. Due to these extra two features, these types of sarcophagi have the greatest look of an architectural …show more content…
The lid of the sarcophagus is a shape of a triangular prism, the middle part of the sarcophagus is a shape of a rectangular prism, and the bottom of the sarcophagus outlines the rectangular prism of the middle part. The middle part of the sarcophagus, which is also the focal point, is relief-decorated with scenes in all four sides. From this description, this sarcophagus could be their Attic or Asiatic. However, the lack of doorway motif and colonnades show that it couldn’t be Asiatic. Thus, this sarcophagus could mostly be