Sarcophagi with "continuous frieze"
Sarcophagi with "continuous frieze"
With the "peace of the Church" following the 313 agreement between Constantine and Licinius (the so-called "Edict of Milan"), Christians obtained freedom of worship throughout the empire, after the long period of persecutions undertaken by the Emperor Diocletian (284-305). As a direct consequence of the Peace, the production of Christian sarcophagi increased significantly: images inspired by biblical stories populated the fronts of the marble chest, which literally teemed with characters and scenes arranged seamlessly, a diffuse type defined as "continuous frieze". On such sarcophagi, to which this sector of the Museum is dedicated, the scenes represented are generally connected by the theme of Christian salvation, wishing life after death to the deceased.