The Parallel Relationship Between Achilles And The Sarcophagus
Before our visit to the Beirut National Museum, I kept in mind the fact that the artifact I would choose was probably going to belong to the Roman period –I’m fascinated by their sculptures- and that I was going to search the whole museum, piece by piece, until I find a relic that would truly catch my eye. However, when we arrived at the museum, I saw a remarkably huge marble sarcophagus and its picture stayed in my head during the whole tour. I kept on thinking about what mesmerized me about it, was it its refined representations? The great talent of an unknown artist? Or perhaps the simple curiosity regarding who is buried inside of it? I believe that what initially caught my eye is the incredible intricacy in details and dramatic tone in
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the scenes depicted on each of the sarcophagus’s edges, consisting mostly of nude and strong men as well as animals.
After taking a look at the label, “SARCOPHAGUS WITH THE LEGEND OF ACHILLEUS”, I instantly recalled the Greek mythology: Homer’s Iliad and the great hero Achilles.
The parallel relationship between the myth and the artifact will be exploited, but it is first important to take note of the sarcophagus and the elements that constitute it. It is rectangular in shape, it dates from the 2nd century AD, and its artist is unfortunately unknown. Each of its four sides portrays a different episode of the life of Achilles from the Iliad and both of its bottom and upper panels, although hardly discernable, are decorated by series of carved plants. The first side of the tomb depicts a corpse laying on the floor being carried by a chariot driven by a dressed man. One the far left, nude men holding vessel are represented. On the far right, an old man is on his knees, kissing the hand of a naked man sitting on a throne. On the back of the relic, two muscular lions face each other’s, a crater between separating them. On the first lateral side, a man is sitting on a chair, facing another man holding corpse in his arms. And finally on the opposite side, three naked men are washing a dead body, half covered by sheets. Every element sculpted on the sarcophagus has a three-dimensional aspect to it, the background is mostly negative space and aids in outlining each sculpted entity, and there is striking great load of minute details put into the entire making. As for the texture is smooth
marble.
It is easy to appreciate this artifact: simply looking at it is pleasurable, but in order to truly understand it and grasp its full elaborateness, we must acknowledge the historical myth that lies within it: the story of Achilles. He was one of the crucial warriors in the Trojan War, which was a 10-year long battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. The legendary war was ignited by none other but Zeus, the king of gods who decided to create tensions between the two enemies in order to get rid of most of the mortals on earth who he dimed to many. The thunder God invited Paris, prince of Troy, to a banquet in Greece during which he fell in love with the king’s daughter, Helen (known as Helen of Troy). He took her back with him to Troy even tough he knew that she was already married to the king of Sparta, Menelaus. The Spartan, seeking revenge, pledged merciless consequences onto the Trojans and ordered Achilles, the leading warrior of Greece, to join his army, but he refused. When the Trojans launched a hostile attack, Achilles’s friend, Patroclus, asked to use his armor in battle: he taught that if the enemies saw the armor of Greece’s most notorious warrior, they would immediately flee. However, the Trojans did not do as expected and Patroclus was son killed in combat by Hector, another Trojan prince. Achilles, full of sorrow due to the loss of his friend and seeking revenge, decided to join in combat, where he soon killed Hector himself. Not satisfied by the simple death of the Trojan prince, he decided to humiliate him even in death. He tied his body to the back of his chariot and dragged him on the dirt to Sparta, not allowing him to be buried. The king of Troy, Priam, consumed by misery, begged for his son’s body in order to burry him so his soul could finally be at rest. Achilles gave in, and Hector rested where he belonged. (Miffilin)
Having obtained the full myth behind the scenes depicted by this sarcophagus, one can now obtain the comprehension of the iconographies sculpted on this relic. On the front left side, the man standing on his chariot and carried by a horse is Achilles, and the body being carried by the chariot is the dead body of Hector. On the right side, Achilles is the man sitting on a throne, and Priam; king of Troy is kneeling in front of him, kissing his hand, begging for his son’s body. The very kneeling position of Priam and expression of agony and pain on his face could have led an uninformed viewer that he was begging for something. There is also a clear inversion of superiority in this scene: a king kneels at the feet of his son’s murderer, his adversary. On the sides of the tomb, the iconographies first depict women and men washing and cleansing the body of Hector, after his body has been given back. As for the other side, we can see a warrior that brought Priam to Achilles. These scenes remarkably depict the turning point in this myth, and the importance of burial in Greek mythology, all of which reflect the importance of the person’s sarcophagus. On the back of the sarcophagus, the two lions symbolize bravery, safety and protection. Their presence is vital in order to guard the body and the tomb. Subtly placed on either end of the sarcophagus are decorative renderings of plants and vegetation that represent nature. The strong intertwining between the artifact and the myth of Achilles testifies to the strong coloration between art and the period of history from which it belongs to.
As for the medium used for this artifact: marble, it was most often used for sculptures and sarcophagi construction in this era. During the Roman Period, coffins were made from terra cotta, wood stone and lead, usually destined for the lower classes. The people belonging to the upper echelon would have coffins made from alabaster or marble. Marble sarcophagi consisted of “decoration of varying artistry and elaboration” that only the wealthy could afford to bury their loved ones in. In addition, they had another function “impress the living beholders”, which makes it more of an artwork. Furthermore, the Roman Empire had expanded its territory and had reached Asia, and the east-Mediterranean lands (Toynbee 1971, 270-272). Like other sarcophagi, this sarcophagus was probably shipped like others to our country. It was found in Tyre, near the port: center of commerce and exchange. Some of these burials were personally designed for specific corpses. As for this piece, the myth of Achilles might have possibly been related to the deceased’s personality. Achilles is a figure of bravery and virtue, attributes that were meant to grant the dead person and to honor him.
During the Roman Empire, it was a popular tradition to use a sarcophagi for inhumation burials, meaning that they would get rid of the body by burying it, they would even use the cremation technique in which they would dispose of the body by burning it, therefore turning it into ashes and ember (Stokstad 2002). However the Greeks, creating a groundbreaking tradition, which resulted in an increase of sarcophagus demand, initially handed down the inhumation burials to the Romans. Between the two techniques, it appears as though cremation was the more acclaimed medium in funerary rituals (Toynbee 1971, 15). Considering the age of this relic, it was manufactured during the Roman Empire, dating 2nd century AD. At that time Romans had already been influenced by the Greek culture, which explains the presence of Greek mythology on roman objects.
After researching and understanding the authentic meaning of this historical object, I have come to think that the scenes presented happened right after the battle between Hector and Achilles. The anonymous artist captured the funerary scene of this legend and had it related to an actual funerary practice put into context at the time. It could make some think about the art exhibition that happened in the Museum Of Modern Art in 2010: “The Modern Myth: Drawing mythologies in modern times”. One of the artworks displayed belongs to Mark Rothko: Sacrifice of Iphigenia, 1942 (MoMa). Despite the fact that these two art pieces are separated by a long period of time, they both have in common the representation of Mythology on artworks: a practice that seems to belong to every human beings in the course of history, from the cave men to modern days biblical theme painters.
the scenes depicted on each of the sarcophagus’s edges, consisting mostly of nude and strong men as well as animals.
After taking a look at the label, “SARCOPHAGUS WITH THE LEGEND OF ACHILLEUS”, I instantly recalled the Greek mythology: Homer’s Iliad and the great hero Achilles.
The parallel relationship between the myth and the artifact will be exploited, but it is first important to take note of the sarcophagus and the elements that constitute it. It is rectangular in shape, it dates from the 2nd century AD, and its artist is unfortunately unknown. Each of its four sides portrays a different episode of the life of Achilles from the Iliad and both of its bottom and upper panels, although hardly discernable, are decorated by series of carved plants. The first side of the tomb depicts a corpse laying on the floor being carried by a chariot driven by a dressed man. One the far left, nude men holding vessel are represented. On the far right, an old man is on his knees, kissing the hand of a naked man sitting on a throne. On the back of the relic, two muscular lions face each other’s, a crater between separating them. On the first lateral side, a man is sitting on a chair, facing another man holding corpse in his arms. And finally on the opposite side, three naked men are washing a dead body, half covered by sheets. Every element sculpted on the sarcophagus has a three-dimensional aspect to it, the background is mostly negative space and aids in outlining each sculpted entity, and there is striking great load of minute details put into the entire making. As for the texture is smooth
marble.
It is easy to appreciate this artifact: simply looking at it is pleasurable, but in order to truly understand it and grasp its full elaborateness, we must acknowledge the historical myth that lies within it: the story of Achilles. He was one of the crucial warriors in the Trojan War, which was a 10-year long battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. The legendary war was ignited by none other but Zeus, the king of gods who decided to create tensions between the two enemies in order to get rid of most of the mortals on earth who he dimed to many. The thunder God invited Paris, prince of Troy, to a banquet in Greece during which he fell in love with the king’s daughter, Helen (known as Helen of Troy). He took her back with him to Troy even tough he knew that she was already married to the king of Sparta, Menelaus. The Spartan, seeking revenge, pledged merciless consequences onto the Trojans and ordered Achilles, the leading warrior of Greece, to join his army, but he refused. When the Trojans launched a hostile attack, Achilles’s friend, Patroclus, asked to use his armor in battle: he taught that if the enemies saw the armor of Greece’s most notorious warrior, they would immediately flee. However, the Trojans did not do as expected and Patroclus was son killed in combat by Hector, another Trojan prince. Achilles, full of sorrow due to the loss of his friend and seeking revenge, decided to join in combat, where he soon killed Hector himself. Not satisfied by the simple death of the Trojan prince, he decided to humiliate him even in death. He tied his body to the back of his chariot and dragged him on the dirt to Sparta, not allowing him to be buried. The king of Troy, Priam, consumed by misery, begged for his son’s body in order to burry him so his soul could finally be at rest. Achilles gave in, and Hector rested where he belonged. (Miffilin)
Having obtained the full myth behind the scenes depicted by this sarcophagus, one can now obtain the comprehension of the iconographies sculpted on this relic. On the front left side, the man standing on his chariot and carried by a horse is Achilles, and the body being carried by the chariot is the dead body of Hector. On the right side, Achilles is the man sitting on a throne, and Priam; king of Troy is kneeling in front of him, kissing his hand, begging for his son’s body. The very kneeling position of Priam and expression of agony and pain on his face could have led an uninformed viewer that he was begging for something. There is also a clear inversion of superiority in this scene: a king kneels at the feet of his son’s murderer, his adversary. On the sides of the tomb, the iconographies first depict women and men washing and cleansing the body of Hector, after his body has been given back. As for the other side, we can see a warrior that brought Priam to Achilles. These scenes remarkably depict the turning point in this myth, and the importance of burial in Greek mythology, all of which reflect the importance of the person’s sarcophagus. On the back of the sarcophagus, the two lions symbolize bravery, safety and protection. Their presence is vital in order to guard the body and the tomb. Subtly placed on either end of the sarcophagus are decorative renderings of plants and vegetation that represent nature. The strong intertwining between the artifact and the myth of Achilles testifies to the strong coloration between art and the period of history from which it belongs to.
As for the medium used for this artifact: marble, it was most often used for sculptures and sarcophagi construction in this era. During the Roman Period, coffins were made from terra cotta, wood stone and lead, usually destined for the lower classes. The people belonging to the upper echelon would have coffins made from alabaster or marble. Marble sarcophagi consisted of “decoration of varying artistry and elaboration” that only the wealthy could afford to bury their loved ones in. In addition, they had another function “impress the living beholders”, which makes it more of an artwork. Furthermore, the Roman Empire had expanded its territory and had reached Asia, and the east-Mediterranean lands (Toynbee 1971, 270-272). Like other sarcophagi, this sarcophagus was probably shipped like others to our country. It was found in Tyre, near the port: center of commerce and exchange. Some of these burials were personally designed for specific corpses. As for this piece, the myth of Achilles might have possibly been related to the deceased’s personality. Achilles is a figure of bravery and virtue, attributes that were meant to grant the dead person and to honor him.
During the Roman Empire, it was a popular tradition to use a sarcophagi for inhumation burials, meaning that they would get rid of the body by burying it, they would even use the cremation technique in which they would dispose of the body by burning it, therefore turning it into ashes and ember (Stokstad 2002). However the Greeks, creating a groundbreaking tradition, which resulted in an increase of sarcophagus demand, initially handed down the inhumation burials to the Romans. Between the two techniques, it appears as though cremation was the more acclaimed medium in funerary rituals (Toynbee 1971, 15). Considering the age of this relic, it was manufactured during the Roman Empire, dating 2nd century AD. At that time Romans had already been influenced by the Greek culture, which explains the presence of Greek mythology on roman objects.
After researching and understanding the authentic meaning of this historical object, I have come to think that the scenes presented happened right after the battle between Hector and Achilles. The anonymous artist captured the funerary scene of this legend and had it related to an actual funerary practice put into context at the time. It could make some think about the art exhibition that happened in the Museum Of Modern Art in 2010: “The Modern Myth: Drawing mythologies in modern times”. One of the artworks displayed belongs to Mark Rothko: Sacrifice of Iphigenia, 1942 (MoMa). Despite the fact that these two art pieces are separated by a long period of time, they both have in common the representation of Mythology on artworks: a practice that seems to belong to every human beings in the course of history, from the cave men to modern days biblical theme painters.