Colossal sarcophagus with scenes of battle between Romans and barbarians (The so-called Grand Ludovisi Sarcophagus)

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The Ludovisi collection gained possession of this sarcophagus shortly after its discovery in 1621 near the Porta Tiburtina in Rome as a gift from the Capitoline of Santa Maria Maggiore to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi. Scenes of battle are skillfully carved on the front and two shorter sides. The frontal design is organized into three levels: victorious Romans are positioned at the top, alongside the deceased dressed as a general; the central section depicts a fierce battle between Romans and barbarians; and at the bottom, defeated barbarians lie on the ground. This work exemplifies battle sarcophagi, a common product of the mid-2nd century and early 3rd-century AD. The face of the deceased may have been reworked in a later period to depict one of Emperor Decius' sons: Hostilian, who died in 252 AD, or his brother Herennius Etruscus, who fought against the Goths in 251 AD. Scholars identifying the deceased as Herennius Etruscus hypothesize that the sarcophagus was crafted in Rome as a funeral monument for the young man or his mother, Herennia Etruscilla. Indeed, the Boncompagni Ludovisi Collection once held a sarcophagus cover featuring a portrait of Herennia Etruscilla. This piece, likely the original cover for the Ludovisi Sarcophagus, is now housed in Mainz, Germany.