Seriality and Individualization: Carving the Fluted Sarcophagi from Hierapolis of Phrygia

Several marble sarcophagi, including both plain or fluted coffins and chests decorated with garlands, friezes, and elaborate compositions framed by columns and covered with roof-shaped or kline lids, are attested in the Roman burial grounds at Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey). A survey conducted in 2022 mapped forty fluted items in the North Necropolis of Hierapolis, including thirty-seven pieces of white marble and three fragments of a large travertine chest. Only a single fluted sarcophagus is preserved in its entirety, still equipped with its roof-shaped lid. Aside from their repetitive, standardized pattern, each item is highly individual with respect to the morphology of its mouldings and flutes, surface treatment, and decorative details. The majority of the pieces from the North Necropolis appear to have been carved freehand in response to individual requirements. While rationalized modes of production likely dominated the economic landscape of the Roman sarcophagus industry, customers could exercise a significant degree of control over the pieces carved by local quarry-based workshops. Exploration of these processes and histories may yield new perspectives on the social and economic relationships that underpinned the production and trade of Roman sarcophagi.