Here we see what held the dead body of a rich man in ancient Rome, called a sarcophagus. It comes from the Greek words for "flesh" and "to eat", therefore literally meaning the box was a "flesh eater", or a place for the body to stay. It depicts a massive war zone, with the Romans clearly winning against Barbarians. On each corner, we can see the head of the fallen Barbarians. In the center of the piece is the deceased on a horse, bravely fighting. This was a common trait for a sarcophagus, usually, the sculptor would make the masterpiece and leave the featured person with a blank face so when someone bought it, he could carve their face into it. Other more wealthy clients could ask for a specific customized scene on theirs. Once bought, sometimes family members would share sarcophaguses or even reuse them and jut continue to carve new faces on the center piece.
January 09, 2017
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Rome, Italy
Here we see what held the dead body of a rich man in ancient Rome, called a sarcophagus. It comes from the Greek words for "flesh" and "to eat", therefore literally meaning the box was a "flesh eater", or a place for the body to stay. It depicts a massive war zone, with the Romans clearly winning against Barbarians. On each corner, we can see the head of the fallen Barbarians. In the center of the piece is the deceased on a horse, bravely fighting. This was a common trait for a sarcophagus, usually, the sculptor would make the masterpiece and leave the featured person with a blank face so when someone bought it, he could carve their face into it. Other more wealthy clients could ask for a specific customized scene on theirs. Once bought, sometimes family members would share sarcophaguses or even reuse them and jut continue to carve new faces on the center piece.
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