The study of the Attic sarcophagi from Ephesos throws a light on the tectonics, the ornaments, the iconography and the stylistic development as a basis for a relative chronology of the genre on site. ...The results of this study gain in importance as they can be correlated with chronologically "fixed" data - see the Aristides sarcophagus with its portrait and the associated inscription on the sarcophagus base. The results can be compared with other Attic sarcophagi and be applied to other genres of the imperial Attic sculpture, so that the importance of the Attic sarcophagi as one of the leading forms of the Greek sculpture of the imperial period is underlined.
A large number of marble sarcophagi have been discovered in the extensive cemeteries of ancient Nicopolis, ranging in date from the Hadrianic period to the middle of the third c. AD. The ...archaeological study, based on typological and stylistic criteria, indicates that many sarcophagi are imported from Athens, while a large part seems to be the product of local workshops that often follows closely Attic models. In order to identify securely the marble used for the sarcophagi, and therefore the sources used by the local workshops, 14 representative sarcophagi from the Archaeological Museum of Nicopolis were sampled and subjected to full scientific provenance analysis. This involved a combination of (a) in situ examination of the whole objects using optical techniques for measuring grain sizes and translucency, and recording of inclusions, veins and other features; (b) stable isotope analysis; and (c) electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results revealed a clear preference in the Pentelic marble: 12 out of 14 sarcophagi made in that marble, while 1 sarcophagus was made of marble from Thasos and 1 of an unidentified grey, coarse-grained, dolomitic marble. Pentelic marble was identified in sarcophagi considered as imports from Attica—as expected, but also in local products following attic models, with or without incorporating motifs from other places. This wide use of Pentelic marble for the local production, as well as the importation of Attic finished products, both luxurious options, designates the overall economic prosperity of Roman Nicopolis, but also its close trade and artistic connections with Athens.
The study of the Attic sarcophagi from Ephesos throws a light on the tectonics, the ornaments, the iconography and the stylistic development as a basis for a relative chronology of the genre on site. ...The results of this study gain in importance as they can be correlated with chronologically "fixed" data - see the Aristides sarcophagus with its portrait and the associated inscription on the sarcophagus base. The results can be compared with other Attic sarcophagi and be applied to other genres of the imperial Attic sculpture, so that the importance of the Attic sarcophagi as one of the leading forms of the Greek sculpture of the imperial period is underlined.
Die Untersuchungen der attischen Sarkophage aus Ephesos ergaben vielfältige Kriterien und Entwicklungen in Bezug auf Tektonik, Ornamentik, Ikonographie und Stil für die Erstellung einer relativen Chronologie der Gattung vor Ort. Die erzielten Resultate gewinnen an Bedeutung, da sie mit chronologisch „fixierten“ Eckdaten – siehe den Aristides-Sarkophag mit Porträtkopf und zugehöriger Inschrift am Sarkophagsockel – korreliert werden können. Die Ergebnisse können so mit anderen attischen Sarkophagen verglichen werden und werden übertragbar auf andere Gattungen der kaiserzeitlichen attischen Plastik, so dass eine Bedeutung / der Rang der attischen Sarkophage als Leitgattung für die griechische Plastik der Kaiserzeit untermauert wird.
