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Roman Funerary Practices:
Early in Rome's history, the dead were either cremated or buried. By the 2nd century B.C., cremation had become the preferred practice. The remains of the deceased were deposited in urns, which were often placed in columbariums (vaults with niches in the walls). During the 2nd century A.D., the elite began to favor burial, in imitation of Hellenistic practices. It was believed that the welfare of the deceased's souls depended on the care given to the body. By law, ceremonies had to be located outside of towns, and tombs and funerary markers often lined the roads. The very wealthy could afford elaborately carved marble sarcophagi, which were placed in family tombs. The terms sarcophagus refers to a stone coffin and literally means "flesh-eating."
In 1885, a tomb that had been used by the prominent Licinian and Calpurnian families for many generations (from about A.D. 135 to the early 3rd century) was discovered near the Via Salaria, just outside Rome. The tomb had three chambers. Portraits of family members and their distinguished relatives and connections -- including Pompey the Great, rival of Julius Caesar, and Livia, wife of the emperor Augustus -- were found in the earliest chamber along with altars. In the remaining chambers, ten sarcophagi were found, all later in date that the portraits. Seven of these exquisitely carved sarcophagi are displayed in this gallery.
The Calpurnian family belonged to a mystery-cult that worshiped the god Dionysus Sabazius, a deity who combined the characteristics of Dionysus and Sabazius. The wine-god Dionysus (generally known as Romans as Bacchus) was also a god of fruitfulness and vegetation. Sabazius, another Greek god, was often identified with Dionysus and shared his associations with nature. The decoration on the sarcophagi in this room makes symbolic reference to the god's cult and includes scenes from Greek myths, reinterpreted according to late Roman beliefs. The images were chosen to express the ideas of life and death held by the family. In general, the representations proclaim the victory of life over death. |