Sarcophagus of the Battles Between the Greeks

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From the second century AD on, Athenian workshops rivaled those of Rome in crafting monumental sarcophagi, often exported to various parts of Greece or across the Mediterranean. One such example is this striking sarcophagus, crafted around AD 180 and discovered in Thessaloniki. The roughly hewn lid depicts a deceased couple reclining on their funeral bed, while the box itself portrays the legendary battle between the Greeks and Amazons; its back features garlands and griffins. This monumental sarcophagus was unearthed in 1836 in northern Greece's city of Thessaloniki. It entered the Louvre in 1884, two years after consul M. Gillet had presented it to Louis-Philippe as a gift. Despite its origins, the box is an authentic Attic creation from the second century AD. Athens was the third largest center for sarcophagus production, following Rome and Asia Minor; its sculptural tradition was continued through relief-decorated sarcophagi, often destined for foreign clients and exported across the Mediterranean or within Greece itself (as in this case). Production ceased during the late third century due to economic troubles, partly caused by the Herulian invasion of Attica in AD 267. In line with a practice also observed in Etruria, Italy, and Rome, the sculptor personalized this sarcophagus by depicting the deceased couple on its lid. The box's structure resembles that of a funeral bed, supported at its corners by caryatids and terminal figures, with its thick mattress and embroidered cushions. Several indications suggest these portraits date from circa AD 180: the woman's hairstyle, for instance, features large waves on either side of a central parting and a chignon at the nape of her neck, similar to that worn by noble Roman women during the late Nervan-Antonian dynasty (AD 96-192). The couple's strongly chiseled features attest to the work of a local sculptor who added these portraits to an unfinished sarcophagus imported from Attica to northern Greece. Attic sarcophagi were placed in structures visible to the public and, unlike Roman models (sculpted on three sides only), they featured reliefs on all four sides. In this case, the theme was inspired by a mythological episode: the main panel and short sides depict the battle of the Greeks and Amazons during the Trojan War. This episode is marked by Queen Penthesilea's death in Achilles' arms, who fell in love with her after delivering her fatal blow. The dense, violent composition features contorted poses and effects of drapery contrasting with the nudity of the bodies. Although modified, the fighters' poses were inspired by traditional Greek sculpture. The monumentality of the figures reflects the Greek artists' taste for decoration resembling sculpture in the round, where the characters are treated like individual sculptures. On the back of the box, two griffins face each other inside garlands hanging from an eagle and from two terminal figures of Heracles.