Roman Sarcophagi from Ephesos II

The goal of this project is the publication in the series "Forschungen in Ephesos" of all the sarcophagi found at Ephesos, the capital of Roman Asia Minor. The documentation of the 800 monuments stored in several museums was achieved largely in two previous projects, P 13186-SPR and 15112. The new project serves for the completion of the documentation and the catalogue, but most of all for the evaluation and interpretation of the broad spectrum of sarcophagi from the 1st to the 3rd Century A.D. This spectrum comprises the local production as well as imports from the three main production centers in Athens, Dokimeion/Pamphylia and Rome. Taking a different viewpoint than the previous research, which focused mainly on types, motifs and chronology, this innovative study places emphasis on the portrayal of all the sarcophagi found in one metropolis. Thanks to the comprehensive documentation, well-founded statements are possible already at this stage of the research, regarding the beginning and the chronology of the production of sarcophagi at Ephesos, and the proportion of the local production to the imports and local versions of other production centers. This is also a contribution to the study of society, trade and commerce in Roman Asia Minor. As to methodology, the stylistic dating is based on a framework of monuments from Asia Minor with well-established dates. Cooperation with the specialist for the inscriptions (Prof. H. Taeuber, Vienna) will throw light upon questions of chronology, prosopography and sociology. Cooperation on an international level involves the Efes Müzesi in Selcuk - where most of the sarcophagi are stored - and the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry in Gent (Prof. L. Moens) where marble samples of sarcophagi will be analysed. This comprehensive study of all the sarcophagi from Ephesos will contribute to the progress of international research. Therefore, further support for the completion of the final publication is urgent.

The aim of this project - a follow-up project of P 13186 SPR and P 15112 - was the completion of the systematic recording of all the sarcophagi found hitherto at Ephesos, capital of the Roman province of Asia. This aim was achieved by the documentation of two important groups of objects, the Attic and column sarcophagi housed in the museums of Selcuk and Izmir (Turkey). The ultimate goal is the publication of the - almost finished - catalogue including comprehensive studies regarding all the types of sarcophagi. Altogether there are about 800 objects from Ephesos. The project was carried out as a national and international cooperation comprising the project leader and the co-worker M. Heinz on one side, and on the other side specialists for the study of the inscriptions (H. Taeuber, University of Vienna, Institute of Ancient History) and the Attic sarcophagi (C. Kintrup, Münster, BRD) and two collaborators from Turkey (M. Büyükkolanci and B. Tuluk, formerly Efes Müzesi, Selcuk). - Methodologically speaking, this project aims at the evaluation of the whole spectrum of the sarcophagi used in a Roman city, including both the local production as well as the imported products from Asia Minor, Athens and Rome (in contrast to the traditional approach which focused mostly on the centres of production of the sarcophagi and the figural motifs used on them). Important results were achieved regarding the chronology of the sarcophagi and the variety of types, some of which were used only in specific periods of time. Intensive research led to the realization of a dependency of the Ephesian sarcophagi production on other production centres regarding the use of figural motifs, but also to the evaluation of local designs and interesting modifications. The project is of immense importance for the research on sarcophagi as there are very few comprehensive publications on sarcophagi from Asia Minor. Thanks to this project, the research on Roman cemeteries around Ephesos was put on a new basis, and the publication will offer also a framework for future research on new finds and the spectrum of sarcophagi in other Roman cities. Within the scope of research on the whole body of Ephesian sculpture, the sarcophagi are the biggest group of objects studied so far. In the course of the project, M. Heinz and C. Kintrup finished articles resp. contributions to monographs and were invited to participate in two colloquia on sarcophagi. The volume "Sarcophagi from Ephesos" which is the outcome of this project will be published in the series "Forschungen in Ephesos". The results achieved in this project are a contribution to the humanities (classical archaeology, ancient history) in the first place, but they will also be disseminated via scholarly and other lectures and guided tours to the interested public. Thanks to the Efes Müzesi, Selcuk, a "garden of sarcophagi" has already been laid out along one of the visitors` paths at Ephesos.