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© Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Barcelona
Omeka ID 2405
Necròplis de Portus Illicitanus
Roman world

Rape of Proserpina sarcophagus

MAC BCN-009570

Object type
sarcophagus
Production date
150 / 200
Fabric
-
Museum
Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Barcelona
Culture
Roman world
Discovery location
Necròplis de Portus Illicitanus
Materials
Carrara marble
Township
Santa Pola (Europa, Espanya, País Valencià, Alacant)
Technique
sculpting
Where is it?
Exposició permanent
Dimensions
53 x 205 x 63 cm
Description
White marble sarcophagus made in Italy, decorated in relief of representing the kidnapping of Proserpina. According to the myth, Pluto, god of hell, kidnapped Proserpina to marry her. The mother of Proserpina, Ceres, who had not consented to the marriage, abandoned her duties as goddess of agriculture to look for the kidnapped daughter. Then the land became barren. To solve this, Jupiter decided that Proserpina should lived with her mother for nine months, during which the land would be fruitful. In winter, Proserpina would return to hell with her husband and the land would remain barren. The sarcophagus was found in a necropolis in Portus Illicitanus (now Santa Pola, Alicante) and moved to Barcelona in the late eighteenth century, as the acquisition of a private collector.

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