Terracotta sarcophagus rim

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A significant number of terracotta sarcophagi with a decorated upper rim have been found at Klazomenai and at Old Smyrna, East Greek sites on the west coast of Asia Minor; given their size and weight, it is assumed that they were manufactured locally. Before the funeral, the sarcophagus was apparently buried up to the height of the upper rim. After the deceased was laid inside during the funeral ceremony, a stone lid was placed over the sarcophagus and earth was piled up to mark the grave site. On this example, the upper zone of the lid is decorated with a battle scene. Four foot soldiers clash over a fallen warrior, while a winged figure and a chariot approach from either side. Details on the figures were originally indicated in white. On the sides of the rim stand a centaur and a siren; below, two lions attack a boar.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art