Identifier: handbookofarchae00west (find matches)
Title: Handbook of archaeology, Egyptian - Greek - Etruscan - Roman
Year: 1867 (1860s)
Authors: Westropp, Hodder M. (Hodder Michael), -1884
Subjects: Art, Ancient Archaeology
Publisher: London, Bell and Daldy

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SEPULCHRAL URN. 112 HANDBOOK OF ARCHEOLOGY. in years, months, and days,—the name of the parent, freedman,or of the friend who raised the monument over the tomb of thedeceased. Frequently the body was placed in a sarcophagus, or marble coffin,with similar inscriptions ; a very remarkable specimen of this kindis the celebrated sarcophagus of Scipio, found in the tomb of theScipios, at Home. Under the Antonines sarcophagi were frequentlyused. They were embellished with ornaments and elaborate basreliefs. The ashes of the bodies were enclosed in cinerary urns, whichwere composed of various materials, and were varied in form,with or without inscriptions. The urns of the same familywere sometimes deposited in a place prepared for that purpose,generally below the level of the ground. Its interior walls werepierced with several stories of arched niches, in each of which one
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COLUMBARIUM. or several urns were placed. This is what the Romans called acolumbarium, a name derived from the likeness of the niches in thewalls to pigeon holes.* When the deceased, having been killed inbattle, or having died at sea, did not receive the honours of scpul- * There are several of these columbnria at Rome. The most remarkable are,the columbarium in the Vigna Codini, ou the Appiau way; and the colnmbnrinmin the Villa Doria. TOMBS. 113 lure, a cenotaph, or empty tomb, was raised to him with the cere-monies regulated by law; these cenotaphs bore the same ornamentsas the sarcophagi and tombs. The place appointed for tombs wasgenerally by the side of roads ; and though they were not allowedto be constructed within the city, there was no restriction as totheir approaching close to the walls. Accordingly we find that mostof the roads leading out of ancient towns are lined with tombs, aninstance of which we have at Pompeii, where the street of the

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