Carved marble sarcophagi became the preferred form of burial for wealthy Romans from the 2nd century CE onward, and workshops in Asia Minor were among the most important producers. Their sides were decorated with garlands, columns, mythological scenes or portraits of the deceased.
Ephesus, on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, was one of the great cities of the Greek and Roman world. Under Rome it was the capital of the province of Asia, with a population estimated at well over 100,000, and it was famous for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders.
