• r2-172-10
    Bull's head fragment, overview. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

Bull’s Head Fragment

Date
Mid-2nd to mid-3rd C. AD, Roman
Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
NoEx67.003
Material
Marble, Stone
Object Type
Sculpture, Sarcophagus
Sculpture Type
Sarcophagus
Site
Sardis
Findspot
Found by government guard during construction of houses on the road to Sardis camp.
Description

The bull’s head has bulging eyes and triple linear eyebrows. His short horns have a ribbon entwined between them. His well-shaped ears (only his r. one preserved) were pushed forward by the garland. The garlands, in high relief, show fruit, acorns, and leaves, separated from each other by deep cuts. At the edges of the garland the leaves are in shallow relief and are worked nicely into the background. A ribbon is loosely slung in the r. -hand garland. The rosette has six petals, each one deeply incised down the center. The background is treated with a large multiple claw chisel.

Although the deeply arched garland is suggestive of an altar, our piece is proven to be a sarcophagus by the curving interior. The linearism and slight awkwardness of style do not mean that the piece is late. There are niceties of design, such as the ribbon slung over and under the acorns and leaves. On the whole the style is nevertheless somewhat rough and provincial. The range of dates would be mid-2nd to mid-3rd C. A.D.

Dimensions
H. 0.64; W. 0.93; Th. 0.15 with relief, 0.125 without. Diam. rosette 0.185.
Comments
Cf. Ward-Perkins, Sarcophagi, 98-104.
See Also
Bibliography
Author
NHR