The Ravennate figural and symbolic sarcophagi from the 4th to the 6th c. A.D. Iconography, typology and chronology of the Ravennate sarcophagi
Abstract
The topic of this thesis is a group of the Ravennate sarcophagi, defined by the period from the end of the 4th to the end of the 6th c. A.D.
This group comprises approximately 58 sarcophagi, of which 13 with figural motives and 45 with a symbolic decoration. These sarcophagi are now found mainly in the northern city of Ravenna and present a coherent group of the Late Antique art, in which it is possible to find some elements of the Eastern artistic tradition of Constantinople and of microasiatic production centers, but also the connection to the sculptural art of the North Italy in the 3rd c.
A.D. In the thesis are mainly studied the decoration (iconography) of sarcophagi, their style and analogies in western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire.
The paper also proposed a chronology of the sarcophagi and proposal of their possible provenance. The work also contains a detailed catalog.