Encoffined Bodies

My PhD project (2022–2026) is entitled 'Encoffined Bodies: on the Role of Decorated Sarcophagi in the Funerary Customs of Roman-period Phoenicia'.  

In the second and third centuries AD the production and consumption of stone sarcophagi to memorialise the dead peaked in Phoenicia. This development marks a wider shift in funerary customs, whereby empire-wide trends appeared in the provinces, indicating a major transformation in how local communities conceptualised and acted in the funerary sphere. Thus far, scholarly focus on sarcophagi of Roman Phoenicia (present-day Lebanon) has predominantly been concerned with them as symbols of high status and culture, their artistic merit, and their position within broader imperial themes of identity and trade networks. Pre-existing approaches have generally been tailored to material from the centre of the Empire, i.e., Italy and mainland Greece.

My PhD investigates the function of the sarcophagi within their funerary customs and the ritual activity practiced by the mourning community. Consequently, it recontextualises the sarcophagi within their distinctly local funerary context. Not only can this investigation shine light upon local customs, values, and beliefs, but also, the socio-cultural development of Roman Phoenicia in relation to the Roman Empire. In addition to stone sarcophagi, I am interested in examining lead coffins and their decoration which were often hidden from view post-funeral, buried in stone sarcophagi, in loculi, or underground.

Disciplinary divides in the study of the funerary material of Roman Phoenicia has meant that data categories (epitaphs, decoration, osteological evidence, and objects) have not yet been studied in a comprehensive manner. To counter the challenges posed by the dataset’s legacy nature and such ontological boundaries I take a holistic approach. Thus, I seek to examine a sarcophagus through its multitude of material and visual components (material, form, size, decoration, inscriptions) in order to reconstruct the lived ritual experience of local communities. A particular aim of mine is to reconcile artistic and archaeological approaches to Roman death and burial.  

The primary dataset comes from major urban sites along the coast of Phoenicia including Tyre, Berytus, and Sidon. Some key research questions include:

• What kinds of interactions did the sarcophagi enable for the living community?  
• How did the material and visual components of the sarcophagus interact with each other and the living?  
• How did the sarcophagi (re-)formulate relationships between the living and the dead?  
• What was the regional distribution of sarcophagi and their decorative elements? 
• What chronological changes or continuity in sarcophagus design took place (pre-Roman–4th century AD)?
• How much were the sarcophagi and their decoration dictated by imperial trends vs. local demands?  
• What do the sarcophagi reflect about local customs, cultural values, and beliefs?

Researcher: Nicholas Aherne 

Project introduction in Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie 69, 2023