A sarcophagus, on which the relief is low, has been described and
figured by Di Cesnola,[726] who discovered it in the same locality as
the sculpture which has just engaged our attention. The sarcophagus,
which had a lid guarded by lions at the four corners, was ornamented
at both ends and along both sides by reliefs. The four scenes depicted
appear to be distinct and separate. At one end Perseus, having cut off
Medusa’s head and placed it in his wallet, which he carries behind him
by means of a stick passed over his shoulder, departs homewards followed
by his dog. Medusa’s body, though sunk upon one knee, is still upright,
and from the bleeding neck there spring the forms of Chrysaor and
Pegasus. At the opposite end of the tomb is a biga drawn by two horses,
and containing two persons, the charioteer and the owner, who is
represented as bearded, and rests his hand upon the chariot-rim. The
horse on the right hand, which can alone be distinctly seen, is well
proportioned and spirited. He is impatient and is held in by the driver,
and prevented from proceeding at more than a foot’s pace. On the longer
sides are a hunting scene, and a banqueting scene. In a wooded country,
indicated by three tall trees, a party, consisting of five individuals,
engages in the pleasures of the chase. Four of the five are accoutred
like Greek soldiers; they wear crested helmets, cuirasses, belts, and
a short tunic ending in a fringe: the arms which they carry are a spear
and a round buckler or shield. The fifth person is an archer, and has a
lighter equipment; he wears a cloth about his loins, a short tunic, and
a round cap on his head. The design forms itself into two groups. On the
right two of the spearmen are engaged with a wild boar, which they are
wounding with their lances; on the left the two other spearmen and the
archer are attacking a wild bull. In the middle a cock separates the two
groups, while at the two extremities two animal forms, a horse grazing
and a dog trying to make out a scent, balance each other. The fourth
side of the sarcophagus presents us with a banqueting scene. On four
couches, much like the Assyrian,[727] are arranged the banqueters. At
the extreme right the couch is occupied by a single person, who has a
long beard and extends a wine-cup towards an attendant, a naked youth,
who is advancing towards him with a wine-jug in one hand, and a ladle or
strainer in the other. The three other couches are occupied respectively
by three couples, each comprising a male and a female. The male figure
reclines in the usual attitude, half sitting and half lying, with the
left arm supported on two pillows;[728] the female sits on the edge of
the couch, with her feet upon a footstool. The males hold wine-cups; of
the females, one plays upon the lyre, while the two others fondle with
one hand their lover or husband. A fourth female figure, erect in the
middle between the second and third couches, plays the double flute for
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