Fragment of Sarcophagus with a Sea-Centaur and the Dead

myminifactory

Until the 2nd century AD, the Romans followed the Greek and Etruscan practice of cremating their dead, placing ashes in a funerary or cinerary urn. The urns were often sculptured with a stylized representation of the deceased on the lid. This practice continued until the end of the 1st century AD, when wealthier families would commission a sculptured tombstone to memorialize their loved ones. By the 3rd century AD, burials became more popular and it was the standard practice. The poor were buried in cemeteries outside town limits to avoid pollution, while the wealthy were also buried there but often in elaborate tombs or sarcophagi. Most sarcophagi in Rome were placed against a wall or niche, which is why they were usually decorated only on the front and two short sides. Wealthy Romans preferred carved sarcophagi, typically made of marble or limestone, and frequently elaborately carved with scenes from Greek mythology reflecting their love for Greek culture. These decorative themes often illustrated aspects of the deceased's personal and professional life, such as battle and hunting scenes, biographical events, garlands of flowers, foliage, or fruits. The main production centers were in Rome and Northern Italy during the 2nd century and early 3rd century AD. Raw materials like marble from Carrara or Proconnessos Island were shipped to other parts of the Mediterranean. By the late 3rd century, workshops were established along the Western Mediterranean coast, including Arles, Narbonne, Tarragona, and Marseilles. The production center in Marseilles, which became active in the 5th century, primarily used limestone for many of the sarcophagi. These outlying centers followed the styles from Rome and North Italy, a blend of Eastern and Western influences. When the Goths under Aleric sacked Rome between AD 410 and 420, the Italian dimension declined as wealthy Italians no longer buried their dead in elaborate tombs or sarcophagi. However, the Visigoths established themselves in Septimania, spreading influence to Aquitaine where they absorbed and developed the Roman custom of using a sarcophagus for the deceased.