Sarcophagus

Sarcophagus, coffin placed above ground. It may be of wood or terra-cotta, but is usually stone. The name means “flesh eating” in Greek; it comes from the limestone used by the ancient Greeks of Asia Minor for coffins, which allegedly consumed the whole body, with the exception of the teeth, within 40 days. The oldest known sarcophagi are those of ancient Egypt, which were often carved in the form of the enclosed mummy. Greek and late Roman sarcophagi were often decorated around the sides with friezes or garlands in relief. Etruscan coffins frequently had effigies of the dead on the lid. In early Christian times sarcophagi depicted biblical scenes.