Art Institute of Chicago

Side Panel of a Sarcophagus

Roman

Date

First half of the 3rd century

Medium

Marble

Culture

Antioch

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This panel was once the side wall of a massive stone coffin. It is decorated in relief with a scene taken from the life of the Greek mythical hero Meleager, who led the hunt for a wild boar that was terrorizing the people of Calydon. Here the valiant hunter stands in the center, his right foot resting on a rock. He is surrounded by his companions, including Herakles at the far left, who is armed with his distinctive knobby club, and his beloved, Atalanta (now headless), seated on the right. Meleager’s head resembles portraits of Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), the Macedonian king and general who conquered Asia as far east as the Indus River, perhaps because the Romans equated success in the hunt with victory on the battlefield. It is possible that the owner of this sarcophagus wished to equate his bravery and achievements with those of both Meleager and Alexander.

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