STRIGILLATE SARCOPHAGUS, C4 CE. VIA DI S. SEBASTIANELLO This elegant sarcophagus with its syncretic decoration dates from 320-350 CE. Its origins are lost in the archives of the Sovrintendenza. It shows two large symmetrical panels of strigilation on either side of a female figure with an unfinished head making a blessing sign with her right hand as it emerges from her stola. She stands in front of a knotted cloth or peripetasma which indicates her as the deceased. On the right and left corners of the sarcophagus front are shown two Good Shepherds, lambs over their shoulders in the traditional way. Here there was once a small shrine to St Sebastian, but it was destroyed in 1728 when the wall collapsed after a heavy downpour, only two years before the Spanish Steps next to it were completed. A large niche took the place of the shrine, with a frame that once contained the saint's image. In 1967 the niche was restored and the sarcophagus was installed as a fountain, with three jets shooting water from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct.
#SarcophagusSaturday brings us to a modest #fountain near the foot of the #Pincio in #Rome, next to the #SpanishSteps. In 1570 this was meant as the site for a grand fountain celebrating the entrance of the #AcquaVergine into the city, to no avail. This was installed in 1967. #AncientBluesky 🏺
