Sarcophagi are stone burial containers, traditionally made of limestone, used by many ancient cultures for important dead. The word comes from the Greek “sarx” and “phagein”, meaning “meat-eating”. They were often decorated with carvings and effigies, and lined with lead to slow decay. Some cultures still use them today.
A sarcophagus is a burial container carved out of stone. Traditionally, many sarcophagi are made from limestone, although a wide variety of stone types may be used, including granite such as that used to make King Tutankhamun’s famous sarcophagus. Many people associate the sarcophagus with classical antiquity, as these burial containers were in widespread use during this period, although such burial containers continue to be used in some regions today.
The origins of the word “sarcophagus” are quite interesting. The term derives from the Greek sarx, or “meat” and phagein, which means “to eat”. The Greeks believed that sarcophagi literally ate the bodies stored inside, dissolving the bones in a very short period of time, especially when they were carved out of limestone. The word was borrowed from the Romans, although the interesting idea about decomposition was not, and has since filtered into the English language.
Numerous ancient cultures used sarcophagi, usually for extremely important dead such as royalty and civic leaders. In China, decorated stone sarcophagi were used to bury members of the royal family, and were often elaborately carved and sometimes inlaid with gold and precious gems. In Egypt, the sarcophagus was used as an external burial container, typically designed to be large enough to hold a coffin, and sometimes a set of nesting coffins that were intended to prevent decay. The Greeks, after the 6th century, together with the Romans, also used sarcophagi, some of which can still be seen today.
Classically, a sarcophagus is just a large stone box. In some cultures, it is traditional to carve an effigy into the lid of the sarcophagus, depicting the face of the deceased, and in some cases the effigy may be an entire body. Sarcophagi are also traditionally decorated with a variety of carvings, many of which feature objects of symbolic significance in addition to decorative value. A sarcophagus may also be lined with lead or other materials to slow the rate of decay.
Although the Greeks may have believed that the sarcophagus would eat the bodies, later cultures have chosen these burial vessels due to their indestructibility. They were used as monuments to powerful people in society and also kept out grave robbers who might have been interested in jewellery, textiles and other grave goods that might have been buried with the dead. Today several examples of ancient sarcophagi are exhibited in museums around the world, so that visitors can admire the craftsmanship.
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