Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a stone coffin, typically elaborately carved, used in ancient times to hold a deceased person. The word comes from Greek roots meaning flesh-eating, reflecting an old belief about the stone’s properties, and today it is often used to describe a large external coffin that encloses one or more inner coffins. In common usage, it contrasts with wooden coffins or simple pits.

Sarcophagi were made from various stones, including limestone, marble, sandstone, granite, and alabaster, and sometimes from terracotta. They range from simple rectangular boxes to anthropoid shapes modeled after the human body. Most sarcophagi have a lid or matching outer container, and many are decorated with inscriptions, reliefs, or scenes intended to honor the dead and aid the afterlife.

Historical use: Egypt. In ancient Egypt, sarcophagi were part of the burial ensemble placed in tombs. They could be nested, with an outer stone coffin enclosing an inner anthropoid coffin and sometimes additional cases indoors. Exterior surfaces often bore hieroglyphic texts and mythological imagery, while the interior contained prayers and spells from funerary texts to protect and aid the deceased in the afterlife.

Historical use: Greece and Rome. In the Hellenistic and Roman worlds, sarcophagi became popular for prominent individuals. They were typically marble or limestone, rectangular in plan, and adorned with relief sculptures or portraits. These coffins were used in family tombs and urban cemeteries across the Mediterranean, and they reflect a shift toward monumental commemorative art in antiquity.

Legacy. Today, sarcophagi are valuable to archaeologists and museums for understanding ancient funerary practices, art, and beliefs. They survive in various states of preservation and are studied as artifacts of social status, religion, and daily life in antiquity.