How Did Rome Continue To Celebrated Sarcophagi?

Over the course of the Roman Empire, burial art and traditions varied greatly. For centuries, cremation was the standard. By the second century A.D., however, the preservation of the body became increasingly popular. As a result, the Romans began to use intricately decorated sarcophagi, typically held within mausolea, to bury their dead. For the Romans, remembrance was a such critical part of their religious tradition and belief in the afterlife that there were numerous festivals which required families to visit the tombs of their ancestors. And so, as there was an ongoing audience, the family carefully chose the decorations that covered the sarcophagi, with mythological scenes being among the most popular options. Periodically, the deceased
A feast, called silicernium, was then eaten in honor of the deceased. (Gessert, 224-225). This was the first of many ceremonies held in the presence of the sarcophagus to commemorate the dead. Just nine days after the initial funeral, a second ceremony was carried out at the tomb which consisted of “a funeral banquet (cena novendialis) and a libation poured on the body” (Gessert 225). After this, the mourning period was officially finished. Close attention was paid to these rituals, as the Romans believed that individuals who were denied proper funerary rites became lemures or larvae, that is, wandering spirits. The festival, Lemuria, was dedicated to appeasing these lemures and larvae. (Gessert 225-226). Thus, in order to assure a peaceful transition into the afterlife as well as prevent malevolent spirits from interfering with the living, funerary rites were carefully
In that way, the characters become archetypes. To understand this point, one could look to the myth of Endymion and Selene. There are numerous accounts of this story; although there is some variation between them, the basic story is the same. Endymion is granted eternal sleep by Zeus–sometimes this is described as a gift, other times it is a punishment. Selene, the moon goddess, falls in love with him and visits him every night. Some sources claim Selene gave Endymion fifty daughters. Others add that Endymion was a shepherd. The only details that are consistent are Endymion’s sleep and Selene’s love for him (Zanker 334). Within art, Endymion is always represented lying back on his left arm with his right arm over his head. He is always naked, though the exact level of nudity varies (Figs. 1 and 2). There are even instances in which individual mythological figures such as Endymion are excerpted from their narrative context entirely (Elsner and Newby 193). This consistency allows Endymion to be immediately recognizable regardless of his