This is one of only a few sarcophagi bearing scenes of the Trojan War (thought to have occurred in the 13th or 12th century BCE). On the left the Greek hero Achilles fights the bearded Trojan prince Hector. To the right is a scene that follows their battle: Achilles in his chariot drags Hector’s dead body around the walls of Troy, while the goddess Athena (the backer of Achilles), Hector’s father, King Priam, and Hector’s wife, Andromache (seated), look on. These scenes occur in Book 22 of The Iliad, the epic poem about the Trojan War ascribed to the Greek poet Homer (8th century BCE).

This sarcophagus was found in fragments in Rome at the beginning of the 20th century. It was put together from over one hundred pieces sometime before 1921, when it was acquired by The RISD Museum. Recent conservation work makes clear which parts are original and which parts are restorations; the filled-in areas were painted to harmonize but not completely blend in with the surrounding original surfaces.