Sarcophagus facts for kids
A sarcophagus is like a special, often stone, box where a person's body is placed after they die. Think of it as a fancy coffin, but usually made of stone and often displayed above ground. Sometimes, they were also buried underground.
The word "sarcophagus" comes from ancient Greek words. Sarx means "flesh," and phagein means "to eat." So, "sarcophagus" literally means "flesh-eating." This name came from a special type of limestone that people believed could help bodies decompose quickly.
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The History of Sarcophagi
Sarcophagi were usually made to be seen above ground. In ancient Egypt, a sarcophagus was like an outer protective layer for the body.
Early Sarcophagi Around the World
One famous ancient sarcophagus is the Hagia Triada sarcophagus. It's made of stone and beautifully painted with fresco art.
Another type, called Klazomenian sarcophagi, were made from painted pottery. These were created around the Greek city of Klazomenai between 550 BC and 470 BC. They were made from rough clay and often had a wide, painted frame.
The huge Lycian Tomb of Payava, now in the British Museum, is a royal tomb from about 360 BC. It was designed to be placed outdoors and is a grand example of a common Lycian style.
Roman and Christian Sarcophagi
Ancient Roman sarcophaguses became popular around the time of Emperor Trajan. They were often made of stone, but sometimes metal or plaster. Many were decorated with detailed carvings.
However, when early Christians started preferring to bury their dead underground, often in simple stone tombs, sarcophagi became less common. Still, many important Early Christian sarcophagi exist from the 3rd and 4th centuries. Most Roman ones were decorated on only three sides because they were placed against a wall.
Sarcophagi continued to be used in Christian Europe for important people like rulers and church leaders. By the Middle Ages, they often had a statue of the person lying on the lid. Simpler sarcophagi were placed in underground rooms called crypts. A famous example is the Habsburg Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria.
Sarcophagi in Later Times
In more recent times, especially in churches, there wasn't always enough space for large sarcophagi. So, people started using "false sarcophagi." These were empty, bottomless cases placed over an underground burial. They became popular in cemeteries and churchyards, especially in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries. They showed a family's social status because they cost more than a simple headstone.
Sarcophagi in the United States
"False" sarcophagi made a comeback in American cemeteries in the late 1800s. A company that built them said they were "the most prevalent of all memorials" at the time. They remained popular until the 1950s, when flat memorials became more common because they were easier to maintain.
Even in 1952, a catalog for memorial products still showed many types of sarcophagi. The image here shows sarcophagi from the late 19th century in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The one in the back, called the Warner Monument (1879), shows the spirit of the person being set free.
Sarcophagi in Asia
In the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam, families often bury their loved ones in sarcophagi near their homes. This allows them to easily visit as part of their tradition of ancestor worship.
In Sulawesi, Indonesia, a traditional type of sarcophagus is called a waruga.
Sarcophagi in India
About 140 years after a British archaeologist named Alexander Rea found a sarcophagus in Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu, another very similar one was discovered in the same area. This new artifact is more than 2,000 years old!
Sarcophagi in Spain
Sarcophagi from the Phoenician and early Christian periods have been found in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
See also
In Spanish: Sarcófago para niños
