sarcophagus
(noun)
A stone coffin, often inscribed or decorated with sculpture.
Examples of sarcophagus in the following topics:
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Etruscan Art under the Influence of the Romans
- On the Sarcophagus of Lars Pulena, two figures of Charun (with hammers but without wings) are depicted on either side of a central figure, most likely Lars Pulena, swinging their hammers at his head.
- Two winged representations of Vanth also appear on the sarcophagus, at either end of the frieze.
- The lid of the sarcophagus depicts a portrait of the deceased.
- The woman who reclines atop the urn wears attire more akin to that of a Roman matron than to the woman on the Sarcophagus of the Spouses.
- As with the sculpture on the Sarcophagus of Lars Pulena, these attributes of age align with the respect afforded to elders in Roman society.
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Sculpture during the Decline of the Roman Empire
- In the scenes shown on the Ludovisi Sarcophagus, the undercutting of the deep relief exhibits virtuosic and very time-consuming drill work that conveys chaos and a sense of weary, open-ended victory.
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Etruscan Sculpture
- A late sixth century sarcophagus excavated from a tomb in Cerveteri is a terra cotta sarcophagus depicting a couple reclining together on a dining couch.
- The sarcophagus displays not only the Etruscan Archaic style but also Etruscan skill in working with terra cotta.
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Etruscan Artifacts
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Funerary Art
- Wall tombs in churches strictly included the body itself, often in a sarcophagus, while the body is frequently buried in a crypt or under the church floor, with a monument on the wall.
- Persons of importance, especially monarchs, might be buried in a free-standing sarcophagus, perhaps surrounded by an elaborate enclosure using metalwork and sculpture.
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The Phoenicians
- It was here that the first inscription in the Phoenician alphabet was found, on the sarcophagus of Ahiram (c. 1200 BCE).
- A Phoenician sarcophagus at the burial grounds of Antarados, northern Lebanon, 480-450 BCE.
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The East
- The Taj Mahal is completely symmetrical except for Shah Jahan's sarcophagus, which is placed off center in the crypt room below the main floor.
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Tutankhamun and Ramses II
- His mummy still rests in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, though is now on display in a climate-controlled glass box rather than his original golden sarcophagus .
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Tombs
- This involved removing the internal organs, wrapping the body in linen, and burying the mummy in a rectangular stone sarcophagus or wooden coffin.
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Etruscan Religion
- Not everyone had a sarcophagus, however.