-
Corner fragment of Roman period sarcophagus. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Fragment with Moldings
Report 2: Sculpture from Sardis: The Finds through 1975
(1978)
Cat. 184
- Date
- 2nd half of 2nd C. AD, Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- NoEx61.002
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture, Sarcophagus
- Sculpture Type
- Sarcophagus
- Site
- Sardis
- Findspot
- Ca. 4.5 km. W of the Pactolus, and ca. 3 km. N of the Izmir-Salihi highway, at a D. of 1.5. Roman vaulted tombs are said to be under the small N-S road near which this piece was found.
- Description
This fragment of a sarcophagus has, from l. to r., an Ionic column base, and the a statue base with apparently a panther paw and the r. foot of Dionysus (cf. Cat. 122 Figs. 250-251). There is the trace of another Ionic column base. The moldings are: Lesbian cyma, a double guilloche torus; “wild” Lesbian cyma, up-pointing. This molding steps back at the l. for the corner of the sarcophagus.
This type of double guilloche torus began quite early, but close parallels to the Lesbian cyma and the guilloche indicate a date in the 2nd half of the 2nd C. A.D.
- Condition
Grayish fine-grained marble.
Fragment broken on all sides. Portion of column base, and moldings beneath, preserved.
- Dimensions
- H. 0.40; W. 0.58; Th. at top 0.18, at bottom 0.25; column D. 0.14; back wall 0.06 Th.
- Comments
- For the torus see, Matz, Sarkophagreliefs, fig. 3, pls. 10-11, dated 1st or early 2nd C. A.D. For the cyma and guilloche pattern, Wiegartz, Säulensarkophage, 168, pl. 42e (dated A.D. 155-160).
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Author
- NHR