(FIG. 10-60) now in Cleveland, one of many decorated with the
story of the tragic Greek hero Orestes. All the examples of this type
use the same basic composition. Orestes appears more than once in
every case. Here, at the center, Orestes slays his mother Clytaemnes-
tra and her lover Aegisthus to avenge their murder of his father
Agamemnon, and then, at the right, takes refuge at Apollo’s sanctu-
ary at Delphi (symbolized by the god’s tripod).
The repetition of sarcophagus compositions indicates that sculp-
tors had access to pattern books. In fact, sarcophagus production was a
major industry during the High and Late Empire. Several important
regional manufacturing centers existed. The sarcophagi produced in
the Latin West, such as the Cleveland Orestes sarcophagus, differ in for-
mat from those made in the Greek-speaking East. Western sarcophagi
have reliefs only on the front and sides, because they were placed in
floor-level niches inside Roman tombs. Eastern sarcophagi have reliefs
on all four sides and stood in the center of the burial chamber. This
contrast parallels the essential difference between Etrusco-Roman and
Greek temples. The former were set against the wall of a forum or sanc-
tuary and approached from the front, whereas the latter could be
reached (and viewed) from every side.MELFI SARCOPHAGUS An elaborate example (FIG. 10-61)
of a sarcophagus of the Eastern type comes from Rapolla, near Melfi
in southern Italy. It was manufactured, however, in Asia Minor and274 Chapter 10 THE ROMAN EMPIRE10-60Sarcophagus with the myth of Orestes, ca. 140–150 ce.Marble, 2 71 – 2 high. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland.
Under the Antonines, Romans began to favor burial over cremation, and sarcophagi became very popular. Themes from Greek mythology, such as
the tragic saga of Orestes, were common subjects.
10-61Asiatic sarcophagus
with kline portrait of a
woman, from Rapolla, near
Melfi, Italy, ca. 165–170 ce.
Marble, 5 7 high. Museo
Nazionale Archeologico del
Melfese, Melfi.
Sarcophagi were produced
in several regional centers.
Western sarcophagi were
decorated only on the front.
Eastern sarcophagi, such as
this one with a woman’s
portrait on the lid, have reliefs
on all four sides.
1 ft.1 ft.