GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The complex composition of this battle scene—with warriors, horses, captives, and trophies of armor intertwined to suggest the violence and bloodshed of war—is typical of Roman relief carvings during the Antonine period (138–192 CE). The sarcophagus was probably made to celebrate the victories of a Roman general in the series of wars that Rome fought with Germanic tribesmen along the Danube frontier, in what are now Hungary and Romania; however, the prototype for the scene might have been a monument created by the Greek King Attalos I of Pergamon in Asia Minor during the 3rd century BCE, which was erected to signify the Greek defeat of the barbarian Celtic invaders. The nude warriors with torques around their necks follow descriptions of Celtic warriors by classical authors. The powerfully modeled and lively Pergamene art style was much admired during the Roman Empire. Here it seems to have been adapted to a Roman taste for historical realism. The man buried in such a battle sarcophagus, several examples of which have survived, probably wished to identify his life and career with well-known Greek scenes of military triumph.
Excerpt from
Anne Bromberg, Label copy [1999.107], 2001.
NOTES
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
c. 1930-1999: Collection of Karl and Dagmar Bergsten, Sweden
From 1999: Dallas Museum of Art, Cecil and Ida Green Acquisition Fund and gift of anonymous donor, 1999. Purchased Christie's London (South Kensington), sale no. 8355, lot 192.
AUDIO ASSETS
- 13315479: UMO. Listen to a 2009 lecture by visiting scholar Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at University of Cambridge, entitled, "The Other Side of Conquest: Prisoners and Victims in the Roman Triumph."
- 13317276: UMO. Listen to "Death, War, and Captivity," a gallery talk by McDermott Intern Crystal Rosenthal on March 5, 2008.
- 13312868: UMO. Listen to "Heroic Images: The Humanist Hero in Greco-Roman Art," a 2001 lecture by curator Anne Bromberg in celebrating the reinstallation of the DMA classical galleries.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Capitoline Museum~See related Pergamene sculptures of Dying Gauls, which belong to the same Hellenistic period.
- Khan Academy~View parts of Trajan's column, showing similar conquests in Dacia and the same theme of Romans bringing peace and prosperity to conquered barbarians.
- Khan Academy~Watch a video explaining the lively Pergamene art style that influenced the style of the DMA Battle Sarcophagus.
- Khan Academy~Compare to the famous Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus in the Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Altemps, Rome.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 1999.107
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General Description
The complex composition of this battle scene—with warriors, horses, captives, and trophies of armor intertwined to suggest the violence and bloodshed of war—is typical of Roman relief carvings during the Antonine period (138–192 CE). The sarcophagus was probably made to celebrate the victories of a Roman general in the series of wars that Rome fought with Germanic tribesmen along the Danube frontier, in what are now Hungary and Romania; however, the prototype for the scene might have been a monument created by the Greek King Attalos I of Pergamon in Asia Minor during the 3rd century BCE, which was erected to signify the Greek defeat of the barbarian Celtic invaders. The nude warriors with torques around their necks follow descriptions of Celtic warriors by classical authors. The powerfully modeled and lively Pergamene art style was much admired during the Roman Empire. Here it seems to have been adapted to a Roman taste for historical realism. The man buried in such a battle sarcophagus, several examples of which have survived, probably wished to identify his life and career with well-known Greek scenes of military triumph.
Excerpt from
Anne Bromberg, Label copy [1999.107], 2001.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Capitoline Museum~See related Pergamene sculptures of Dying Gauls, which belong to the same Hellenistic period.
- Khan Academy~View parts of Trajan's column, showing similar conquests in Dacia and the same theme of Romans bringing peace and prosperity to conquered barbarians.
- Khan Academy~Watch a video explaining the lively Pergamene art style that influenced the style of the DMA Battle Sarcophagus.
- Khan Academy~Compare to the famous Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus in the Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Altemps, Rome.
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
c. 1930-1999: Collection of Karl and Dagmar Bergsten, Sweden
From 1999: Dallas Museum of Art, Cecil and Ida Green Acquisition Fund and gift of anonymous donor, 1999. Purchased Christie's London (South Kensington), sale no. 8355, lot 192.
AUDIO ASSETS
- 13315479: UMO. Listen to a 2009 lecture by visiting scholar Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at University of Cambridge, entitled, "The Other Side of Conquest: Prisoners and Victims in the Roman Triumph."
- 13317276: UMO. Listen to "Death, War, and Captivity," a gallery talk by McDermott Intern Crystal Rosenthal on March 5, 2008.
- 13312868: UMO. Listen to "Heroic Images: The Humanist Hero in Greco-Roman Art," a 2001 lecture by curator Anne Bromberg in celebrating the reinstallation of the DMA classical galleries.
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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