Sarcophagus with triumph of Dionysos

By the second century A.D., Roman funeral practices were in general trending away from cremation in favor of burial. As was typical, this marble sarcophagus was carved on three sides with images that reflect individual interests and cultural beliefs. The Dionysiac theme encountered here was a popular one, probably expressing the hope that the deceased would overcome death by enjoying eternal ecstatic bliss.The front relief presents a lively interpretation of the mythical triumph of Dionysus, showing the god of wine returning from a campaign to spread his cult and the grapevine to India. Standing in an elephant-drawn chariot, the androgynous Dionysus follows a parade of satyrs, maenads, and erotes who dance, play music, and carry ritual objects. At the right, Hercules, suffering the effects of his famous drinking contest with Dionysus, lurches unsteadily toward a maenad. The exotic animals interspersed among the retinue, including a giraffe and a lion, evoke the East. One of the finest examples anywhere, this sarcophagus probably belonged to the family tomb of the Roman praetor (magistrate) Marcus Vibius Liberalis; an inscription on the base lovingly dedicates it to his guardian. The virtuoso carving, featuring deeply undercut figures almost fully in the round, suggests a date in the early third century. The use of island marble quarried on the island of Proconnesus in the Sea of Marmara may indicate that a sculptors' workshop in Asia Minor labored to supply the demands of the thriving Roman market.