Sarcophagus

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Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus (<a href="/en/Plural" title="Plural" class="wl">PL</a>: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a <a href="/en/Coffin" title="Coffin" class="wl">coffin</a>, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word sarcophagus comes from the <a href="/en/Greek_language" title="Greek language" class="wl">Greek</a> <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/σάρξ" title="wiktionary:σάρξ" class="extiw" target="_blank">σάρξ</a> sarx meaning "flesh", and <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/φαγεῖν" title="wiktionary:φαγεῖν" class="extiw" target="_blank">φαγεῖν</a> phagein meaning "to eat"; hence sarcophagus means "flesh-eating", from the phrase lithos sarkophagos (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/λίθος" title="wiktionary:λίθος" class="extiw" target="_blank">λίθος</a> <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/σαρκοφάγος" title="wiktionary:σαρκοφάγος" class="extiw" target="_blank">σαρκοφάγος</a>), "flesh-eating stone". The word also came to refer to a particular kind of <a href="/en/Limestone" title="Limestone" class="wl">limestone</a> that was thought to rapidly facilitate the <a href="/en/Decomposition" title="Decomposition" class="wl">decomposition</a> of the flesh of corpses contained within it due to the chemical properties of the limestone itself.<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a><a href="#cite_note-columbia-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Stone coffin</div>
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea,_da_roma,_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo,_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea,_da_roma,_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo,_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG/220px-Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="3340" data-file-height="1016" data-file-type="bitmap" height="67" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG/330px-Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG/440px-Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG 2x" alt="Sarcofago_col_mito_di_medea%2C_da_roma%2C_vicinanze_di_porta_san_lorenzo%2C_140-150_dc_ca._02.JPG"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire" class="wl">Roman</a> sarcophagus with the myth of <a href="/en/Medea" title="Medea" class="wl">Medea</a>, circa 140–150 AD, from Rome, exhibited in the <a href="/en/Antikensammlung_Berlin" title="Antikensammlung Berlin" class="wl">Antikensammlung Berlin</a> (Berlin)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Sarcofago_con_apollo,_minerva_e_le_muse,_dalla_via_appia,_200_dc_ca._01.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Sarcofago_con_apollo,_minerva_e_le_muse,_dalla_via_appia,_200_dc_ca._01.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG/220px-Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="3220" data-file-height="1192" data-file-type="bitmap" height="81" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG/330px-Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG/440px-Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG 2x" alt="Sarcofago_con_apollo%2C_minerva_e_le_muse%2C_dalla_via_appia%2C_200_dc_ca._01.JPG"></a><figcaption>Roman sarcophagus with <a href="/en/Apollo" title="Apollo" class="wl">Apollo</a>, <a href="/en/Minerva" title="Minerva" class="wl">Minerva</a> and the <a href="/en/Muses" title="Muses" class="wl">Muses</a>, circa 200 AD, from <a href="/en/Appian_Way" title="Appian Way" class="wl">Via Appia</a>, exhibited in the Antikensammlung Berlin</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Double_Tomb_of_Don_Àlvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera,_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cecília_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Double_Tomb_of_Don_Àlvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera,_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cecília_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg/220px-Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2736" data-file-type="bitmap" height="165" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg/330px-Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg/440px-Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg 2x" alt="Double_Tomb_of_Don_%C3%80lvar_Rodrigo_de_Cabrera%2C_Count_of_Urgell_and_His_Wife_Cec%C3%ADlia_of_Foix_MET_cdi48-140-1-3-4.jpg"></a><figcaption>The <a href="/en/Gothic_art" title="Gothic art" class="wl">Gothic</a> sarcophagi of Don Àlvar Rodrigo de Cabrera, count of Urgell and his wife Cecília of Foix, circa 1300–1350, made of limestone, traces of paint, exhibited in the <a href="/en/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art" title="Metropolitan Museum of Art" class="wl">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> (New York City)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg/220px-Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="5184" data-file-height="3456" data-file-type="bitmap" height="147" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg/330px-Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg/440px-Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg 2x" alt="Olhares_sobre_o_Museu_do_Ipiranga_2017_041.jpg"></a><figcaption>The graves of Emperor <a href="/en/Pedro_I_of_Brazil" title="Pedro I of Brazil" class="wl">Pedro I of Brazil</a> (also King of Portugal as Pedro IV) and his second wife <a href="/en/Amélie_of_Leuchtenberg" title="Amélie of Leuchtenberg" class="wl">Amélie</a> (left) in the <a href="/en/Monument_to_the_Independence_of_Brazil" title="Monument to the Independence of Brazil" class="wl">Monument to the Independence of Brazil</a>. The grave of the King-Emperor's first wife, <a href="/en/Maria_Leopoldina_of_Austria" title="Maria Leopoldina of Austria" class="wl">Maria Leopoldina</a>, is on the opposite side, facing his grave.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Karin_Månsdottir's_grave.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Karin_Månsdottir's_grave.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg/170px-Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1704" data-file-height="2272" data-file-type="bitmap" height="227" width="170" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg/255px-Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg/340px-Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg 2x" alt="Karin_M%C3%A5nsdottir%27s_grave.jpg"></a><figcaption>Grave of <a href="/en/Catharina_Månsdotter" title="Catharina Månsdotter" class="mw-redirect wl">Catharina Månsdotter</a>, the <a href="/en/Queen_of_Sweden" title="Queen of Sweden" class="mw-redirect wl">Queen of Sweden</a>, in <a href="/en/Turku_Cathedral" title="Turku Cathedral" class="wl">Turku Cathedral</a> in <a href="/en/Turku" title="Turku" class="wl">Turku</a>, <a href="/en/Finland" title="Finland" class="wl">Finland</a></figcaption></figure>

A sarcophagus is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word sarcophagus comes from the Greek σάρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγεῖν phagein meaning "to eat"; hence sarcophagus means "flesh-eating", from the phrase lithos sarkophagos , "flesh-eating stone". The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to rapidly facilitate the decomposition of the flesh of corpses contained within it due to the chemical properties of the limestone itself. 