Preserving the right half of the tondo from a strigillated sarcophagus, the facing head of a bearded man with short cropped hair, a wide nose and pointed chin. Two flutes of the strigillations are visible to the right. Could this be a lasting memorial to the man who would have been entombed inside the sarcophagus? Or perhaps he was the spouse of a long lost loved one. We can be sure that this effigy represented a specific individual. Elements of portraiture are evident in his eyebrows and bulging eyes carved in high relief as well as the hair and beard. While the memory of this man’s persona has vanished behind the curtain of time, his image and existence will be forever recorded on this memorial to the fleeting fragility of life. - (PF.5532)

Antiquities
Ancient Roman