What is the sarcophagus?

sarcophagus is a funeral container that is carved out of stone. Traditionally, many sarcophagi are made of limestone, although a wide range of stones can be used, including granite, such as the one that is used to become the famous sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen. Many people connect the sarcophagus with classical antiquity, because these funeral containers have been used extensively during this period, although such funeral containers are now used in some regions. The term is derived from the Greek sarx , or "meat" and phagein , which means "to eat". The Greeks believed that Sarcophagi literally ate the bodies stored inside and dissolved the bones in a very short time, especially when they were carved from limestone. The Romans borrowed the word, although it has not been an interesting idea of ​​decomposition and has since filmed into English.

Numerous ancient cultures used sarcophagi, usually for extremely prominent dead, such as royal and civic leaders. In China there were decorative stone sarcophagi habitSummer to bury members of the royal family and often were complicatedly carved and sometimes tilted with gold and precious gems. In Egypt, the sarcophagus was used as an external funeral container, usually designed to be large enough to hold the coffin, and sometimes a nesting set of coffins to prevent disintegration. The Greeks, after the sixth century, along with the Romans, also used Sarcophagi, some of which can still be seen today.

Classically, the sarcophagus is just a large stone box. In some cultures, it is traditional to carve a portrait into the lid of the sarcophagus, depicting the face of the dead person and in some cases and a portrait may be the whole body. Sarcophags are also traditionally decorated with various woodcarving, many of which are characterized by objects of symbolic importance in addition to decorative value. The sarcophagus can also be lined in a lead or other materials to slow down the disintegration rate.

Although the Greeks may believeIf the sarcophagus will eat bodies, later cultures chose these funeral containers because of their indestructibility. They were used as monuments for powerful people in society and also held grave robbery who might be interested in jewelry, textiles and other grave goods that could be buried with the dead. Today, several examples of ancient sarcophagi are exhibited in museums around the world so that visitors can admire their craftsmanship.