Sarcophagus panel depicting a portrait of the deceased at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

myminifactory

Human remains are placed in a sarcophagus, literally "flesh-eater" in Greek, which is a type of coffin used for burial throughout the Roman empire starting in the second century A.D. The most expensive ones were made of marble, but others were crafted from various stones, lead and wood as well. Sarcophagi were not commonly used by Romans before the second century; during this time, they practiced cremation and stored remaining bones and ashes in urns or ossuaries.