What is a sarcophagus?

Sarcophagi were stone, wood, metal or pottery coffins used to contain the body of a deceased person. The case was fitted with a lid, and sometimes it bore an inscription; it might be decorated with reliefs on the main face and sides. The images were quite varied: scenes from everyday life, Greek myths, the Muses, philosophers, seasons or yet other depictions. The sarcophagi were placed in burial chambers, interred or placed outside as free-standing funerary monuments. The use of marble sarcophagi began when the funeral custom of interment took over cremation: marble in fact expressed the idea that memories of the deceased would last forever.