Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus

https://smarthistory.org/battle-of-the-romans-and-barbarians-ludovisi-battle-sarcophagus/

Ancient Rome has a very rich history. My first thought about Ancient Rome revolves around the idea of gladiators, fighting for sport and entertainment at The Colosseum. As I dove farther into research I stumbled across the Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus.  This large stone impression is a depiction of the fighting between the Romans and the Barbarians (goths). This large piece contains over 50 individual figures made with incredible detail. As we examine the piece closer, we are easily able to identify the Romans and tell them apart from the goths. The Romans are depicted as "good guys" in the impression they are shown are more noble and honorable, dressed in armor, their features are more detailed and ideal. This was made to symbolize the Romans as noble and brave men compared to the savage barbarians. The Barbarians are far less detailed, described as caricature like compared to the Romans. This was done to portray the Barbarians as foreigners, or unlike that of the Romans. This whole style is unique as an art piece. It is said the style is reminiscent of Greek style art from previous time periods. I am blown away by the sheer amount of detail in this piece. You can sit and observe the details in every individual figure that makes up the larger piece.  
 

Comments

  1. Jake, of "Jake Writes a Blog"September 19, 2020 at 10:31 PM

    Jeremy, this piece of work was a great choice. How intriguing is their style of identifying the Romans from the goths? I do have a few follow up questions about this piece. Do you know what material it was carved from? Is there any further history about this piece and the inspiration for it? Overall this post is well done. I'm inspired to read more into this sarcophagus myself.

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