The "Sarcophagus of Rufina" from Tyre: Material and Visual Approaches to Funerary Ritual in Roman-Period Phoenicia (20 min)

Presenters

Nicholas Aherne, University of Groningen

Abstract

This paper applies material and visual approaches to an investigation of the ritual function of sarcophagi from Roman-period Phoenicia. The focus is on the third century C.E. “Sarcophagus of Rufina,” from the Roman-Byzantine necropolis of Al-Bass, Tyre. The aim of the paper is to explore how the sarcophagus played a role in the negotiation of death and loss among the living community, specifically providing forms of comfort. As the sarcophagus was used for several burials during antiquity, questions are raised regarding the reuse and reshaping of its functionality.

This paper carries out a holistic and contextual examination of the functionality of the sarcophagus through its material and visual components: material, shape, size, decoration, and text (inscriptions). How did these components interact with each other, and thus How did the sarcophagus interact with the living community within the wider spatial and sociocultural context? Moreover, the primary function of the sarcophagus as a receptacle for the body is key, recognizing the important relationship between the body, the surfaces of the sarcophagus, and the viewer.

Theoretical works that frame this paper are Gell’s Art and Agency: An Anthropological Theory (Oxford 1998) and Zanker and Ewald, Mit Mythen leben: Die Bilderwelt der römischen Sarkophage (Oxford 2004). Such approaches have not been applied to sarcophagi of Phoenicia. Accordingly, the sarcophagus through its various components could interact with mourners in a multifaceted way, providing different forms of comfort that could help the living navigate loss and separation while also creating bridges with the deceased. The sarcophagus also highlights interpretative challenges concerning the identification of patrons and phases of use at Tyre. More broadly, this focused examination engages in questions concerning the mobility of funerary practices and ideas in the Roman East, the use of a sarcophagus that draws upon imperial-wide trends and reflects local demands.