Hall of Heads: “The Myth of Endymion”

The relief is dedicated to the love between Selene and Endymion. It is one of the most frequent subjects represented on Roman sarcophagi, as a metaphor for death and the chance of meeting the deceased in dream. The story is organised into two main scenes, separated by the image of Aura holding the bridles of Selene's horses. On the right, Selene - the crescent moon on her forehead and ample veil around her head - hesitantly gets down from her chariot, heading for her beloved Endymion, naked and sleeping lifelessly on the ground. The young man sitting on a rock personifies Mount Latmos, setting the scene in the region of Caria, today's Southwestern Turkey. Somnus, the personification of sleep, with butterfly wings, represents the perennial state of Endymion. On the left, Selene, looking back, rides her chariot. The seated shepherd to the right of Selene alludes to the rural context in which the encounter with Endymion is to take place. The female figure beside the running horses is a personification of the Earth.
Front of sarcophagus, Roman Art, end of the 2nd century - beginning of the 3rd.