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This panel is all that survives of a rectangular marble tomb from the end of the pre-Christian era.  A portrait of the deceased—a man in a toga— is carved in the shield in the center. The shield is being borne aloft by Cupid, on the left, and Psyche, on the right.  An eagle, horn of plenty, and tipped-over basket of fruit are depicted along the base of the panel.

The hairstyle and drapery of the central portrait are from the early 4^th century A.D., while the sculptural style of the rest of the sarcophagus dates the tomb to at least a generation earlier.  It was typical to prefabricate a coffin, leave the central shield as a bulging mass of uncarved stone, and then personalize it once purchased by the grieving family. In this case, the coffin may have remained unsold for several years after its manufacture.

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This panel is all that survives of a rectangular marble tomb from the end of the pre-Christian era.  A portrait of the deceased—a man in a toga— is carved in the shield in the center. The shield is being borne aloft by Cupid, on the left, and Psyche, on the right.  An eagle, horn of plenty, and tipped-over basket of fruit are depicted along the base of the panel.

The hairstyle and drapery of the central portrait are from the early 4^th century A.D., while the sculptural style of the rest of the sarcophagus dates the tomb to at least a generation earlier.  It was typical to prefabricate a coffin, leave the central shield as a bulging mass of uncarved stone, and then personalize it once purchased by the grieving family. In this case, the coffin may have remained unsold for several years after its manufacture.