Narrative Elements in
Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women)
Melissa Ueckert
ARTH 1380
February 17, 2019
As the archaic period of ancient art drew to a close towards mid-5th century BCE, standards of sculpture, such as that of the ancient Aegean Cycladic culture, which depicted the human form as an idealized, non-naturalistic geometric stature, took a turn toward the more humanistic. The straight-forward, rigid posture of Archaic Kouros and Kore figures with typical “archaic smiles” that addressed the viewer made way for the naturalistic, engaging, and intimate forms of the High Classical Movement. This revolution of this artistic form and function, executed by artists of increasing technical skill, reflected the sentiments of cultural innovation of the time. A new method of storytelling through sculpture allowed these classical human forms to reside in their own world, depicted as a scene itself made of stone.
Some centuries later, the Ancient Roman civilization’s standards of sculpture mirrored that of their earlier Greek counterparts. Roman art of the time borrowed heavily from the styles of multiple ancient civilizations, including that of the Ancient Egyptians. An exemplary illustration of this marriage is The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women), 140-170CE.
The sarcophagus combines the reverence the Ancient Egyptians held for their dead with the preference the Romans had for High Classical Greek Sculpture. Likely entombed within the sarcophagus is a military officer, perhaps even an important commander of the Roman Army (The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle Between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women). A man of such importance would be seen as deserving of a sarcophagus as ornate as this. The high military status of the enclosed individual is likely reflected in the details depicted on the male warriors in the high relief. The men wear standard-issue garments of warriors of the time, as well as shields in their left hands and what were likely swords, though since lost, in their right. It is the detailed inclusion of their belts, though, that reveal their true constitution. The knotted belts they wear are cinctoris, traditional garments of the superior warriors of the Roman military force (The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Sarcophagus). It can therefore be deduced that the prominence of the relief’s warriors match the prominence of the man entombed, who likely resided in the upper echelons of military command.
The fact that the scene depicted was created in the form of a relief itself may shed light on the prestige of the owner itself. The nature of a relief is that the images it depicts are sculpted out of a solid background of a certain material, but remain, either entirely or in part, attached to said background. The walls of the sarcophagus are considered to be in the style of a high relief, where the components stand quite raised from the solid backdrop. The torsos of the warriors, as well as the right sides of the horse-mounted Amazonian Women and their horses themselves, remain in union with their solid marble backing. However, the left legs of the horses and their riders, as well as the heads of the women and the likely-sword-wielding right hands of the warriors stand independent from the backdrop, so much so that some of the limbs have completely been lost over time. These factors point towards an interesting conclusion of duality – the artist or artists put great time and effort into creating a dynamic and detailed piece of sculpture, but they also chose to maintain some of the conjoined aspects of a relief, which tends to lend itself to a stability that can endure the test of time longer than that of a sculpture in the round. The ornateness combined with the durability of the sculpture could only be made for someone who was seen as deserving of such opulence, such as a revered military commander.
The technical mastery of whomever created the sarcophagus is represented in several other attributes of the work. Great care was taken to retain a smooth topical appearance of the marble medium used, with the remarkably well-thought out details carved by the artist adding visually-pleasing textural dimension. Viewers can see minute particulars, from the threads woven on the bottoms of the men’s cinctoris to the curls of the Amazons’ hair, and even the drapery of the women’s skirts across their horses’ backs. These textures lend themselves to elucidating the thought put into the story being told along the relief. The sculpted figures also throw shadows that mimic those shown by the sun hitting actual human and animal forms, serving to bring to life and humanize the scene to an even more pronounced degree. The intentional details included, such as the swish of the Amazons’ capes and the high-stepping, off-diagonal legs of the horses, indicate rapid movement progressing through the relief, express yet another humanistic dimension reflected within the piece. The narrative told by the sarcophagus mirrors battles that likely took place during the life of the dead inside, meant to endure and carry on the legacy of his triumphs for all eternity.
In taking a step back from the finer details and looking at the entire sarcophagus as a whole, it becomes evident that it may actually bear the resemblance of an Ancient Roman temple. The gabled peak mimics the roof of such a temple, and the rows of vertical slats look very much like tiles (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Sarcophagus). Considering that Ancient Greeks and Romans alike built temples in which to worship the Gods they revered, perhaps those who lived during the same time and place as the man inside the sarcophagus found him as someone to be revered. The lion heads placed at the end of each of the roof’s slats denote an appearance of fierceness, as well as the prowess and victory in battle that the lion is known for. Ornate filigreed carvings wrap the sarcophagus as well, mimicking the appearance of the finest handcrafted lace, a delicateness that offsets the brusque nature of the battle shown. It is a possibility that this exquisite, yet fragile detailing is meant to indicate that the individual residing in the sarcophagus was wealthy enough to own the finer things in life, as well as afford a masterful sculptor to create a vessel for his final resting place. It is possible, as well, that the sarcophagus was once brightly painted in highly-saturated colors that would grab the eye, but even if not, the attention paid to detailed carving and shadows cast creates a dynamic contrast that extends beyond the possibility of the flat nature of an image in a single tone or color. Even a detail as simple as the sheer size of the sarcophagus, which reaches an astounding length surpassing seven feet, imposes the impression of gargantuan splendor.
It is an inferable conclusion that The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women) depicts some of the finest mastery of Ancient Roman sculpture, as well as the preeminence of the individual within. The particulars of this high relief tell a narrative illustrated by extraordinary attention to detail which signifies the prominence of the high-ranking officers of the Roman army. Said narrative encompasses the sentiments held by Romans at the time, including the position that those members of the elite society deserve the very best, both in life and in death.
Works Cited
Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women). 140-170CE, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston.
