Early Christian Sarcophagi Outside of Rome

A distinct group of early Christian sarcophagi, carved from local marble between 400–500 CE in Aquitania (western France), stands out for its deviation from Roman styles and craftsmanship. Unlike Rome’s dominant export-driven production, these sarcophagi reflect regional artistic traditions, offering rare insight into provincial adaptations of Christian iconography outside imperial centers. In contrast, Ravenna’s surviving sarcophagi—imported from Constantinople—are fewer in number but of higher quality, contrasting with the coarsely executed and often fragmented remains found in Constantinople itself. The study highlights a shift in burial practices across the Eastern Roman Empire, where church construction and decoration overshadowed individual grave monuments after the 4th century, leading to a scarcity of figural sarcophagi in favor of cross and ornamental motifs.

Koch, G. (2018). Early Christian Sarcophagi Outside of Rome. The Routledge Handbook of Early Christian Art, 56–72. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315718835-4