ABSTRACT
Over 2,000 surviving examples of Christian sarcophagi from Rome attest to the Christianization of daily life, the early development of Christian iconography, and the role of innovative lay patrons in this development. After discussing the production of Christian sarcophagi in Roman workshops and their patrons, this chapter surveys the various types of Christian sarcophagi and the iconographic themes used in sarcophagus reliefs from the late third century to the end of sarcophagus production after the fourth century. Two charts list sarcophagus types by date and the most frequent biblical themes. The earliest Christian works employed traditional Roman images such as the orant and the shepherd, but the repertoire rapidly expanded to include biblical motifs that alluded to patrons’ wishes for the afterlife and other concepts. Later fourth-century works reveal less interest in Christ as miracle worker than as sovereign and apocalyptic lawgiver. The chapter closes with a discussion of the location of sarcophagi and the end of Roman sarcophagus production.
