Roman sarcophagus

Timeline

1. c. 1–150Rome · LazioIn the early empire the Roman elite shifted from cremation to inhumation, marble coffins replacing cinerary urns; their reliefs showed Greek myths and scenes from the deceased's life, continuing the Hellenistic sculptural tradition in funerary art.
2. c. 150–300Aphrodisias · CariaIn the 2nd to 3rd centuries workshops in marble-producing regions of Asia Minor such as Aphrodisias and Proconnesus exported prefabricated sarcophagi and carved elements; provincial elites ordered standardized mythological coffins, creating a trans-imperial funerary art market.
3. c. 300–450Arles · ProvenceIn the 3rd to 4th centuries Gaul, Spain, and North Africa developed sarcophagus styles blending local elements; reclining effigies of the deceased and banquet scenes became popular themes, reflecting the funerary aesthetics and identity expression of late imperial provincial elites.
4. c. 450–500Ravenna · Emilia-RomagnaAfter Christianity became the state religion in the 5th century, sarcophagus reliefs turned to biblical narratives, crosses, and figures of the faithful; many early Christian sarcophagi excavated at Ravenna and Roman catacombs mark the transition from classical funerary art to medieval religious art.