The Parallel Relationship Between Achilles And The Sarcophagus
Before our visit to the Beirut National Museum, I kept in mind the fact that the artifact I would choose was probably going to belong to the Roman period –I’m fascinated by their sculptures- and that I was going to search the whole museum, piece by piece, until I find a relic that would truly catch my eye. However, when we arrived at the museum, I saw a remarkably huge marble sarcophagus and its picture stayed in my head during the whole tour. I kept on thinking about what mesmerized me about it, was it its refined representations? The great talent of an unknown artist? Or perhaps the simple curiosity regarding who is buried inside of it? I believe that what initially caught my eye is the incredible intricacy in details and dramatic tone in
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The parallel relationship between the myth and the artifact will be exploited, but it is first important to take note of the sarcophagus and the elements that constitute it. It is rectangular in shape, it dates from the 2nd century AD, and its artist is unfortunately unknown. Each of its four sides portrays a different episode of the life of Achilles from the Iliad and both of its bottom and upper panels, although hardly discernable, are decorated by series of carved plants. The first side of the tomb depicts a corpse laying on the floor being carried by a chariot driven by a dressed man. One the far left, nude men holding vessel are represented. On the far right, an old man is on his knees, kissing the hand of a naked man sitting on a throne. On the back of the relic, two muscular lions face each other’s, a crater between separating them. On the first lateral side, a man is sitting on a chair, facing another man holding corpse in his arms. And finally on the opposite side, three naked men are washing a dead body, half covered by sheets. Every element sculpted on the sarcophagus has a three-dimensional aspect to it, the background is mostly negative space and aids in outlining each sculpted entity, and there is striking great load of minute details put into the entire making. As for the texture is smooth
The parallel relationship between the myth and the artifact will be exploited, but it is first important to take note of the sarcophagus and the elements that constitute it. It is rectangular in shape, it dates from the 2nd century AD, and its artist is unfortunately unknown. Each of its four sides portrays a different episode of the life of Achilles from the Iliad and both of its bottom and upper panels, although hardly discernable, are decorated by series of carved plants. The first side of the tomb depicts a corpse laying on the floor being carried by a chariot driven by a dressed man. One the far left, nude men holding vessel are represented. On the far right, an old man is on his knees, kissing the hand of a naked man sitting on a throne. On the back of the relic, two muscular lions face each other’s, a crater between separating them. On the first lateral side, a man is sitting on a chair, facing another man holding corpse in his arms. And finally on the opposite side, three naked men are washing a dead body, half covered by sheets. Every element sculpted on the sarcophagus has a three-dimensional aspect to it, the background is mostly negative space and aids in outlining each sculpted entity, and there is striking great load of minute details put into the entire making. As for the texture is smooth