ancora., following the proportions established before this incremental expansion. The process (more fully explained mediante the Appendix) is generous onesto the pagans. Instead of the twelve late pagan sarcophagi cited by Dresken-Weiland, the Chart 2 data include 120. The rete of this exercise was not esatto resolve but rather to circumvent the thorny and ultimately insoluble problem of classification.
The evolution of populations and sarcophagi as represented durante Charts 1 and 2 are directionally similar but the curves fall more steeply durante Chart 2. Footnote 5 The sharper plunge of its upper line reflects and illustrates the decline of the Roman sarcophagus habit and its ultimate disappearance early durante the fifth è recon gratis century. The collapse of the bottom line, asymptotically approaching nulla, points to a more rapid and totalizing Christianization of the monuments than of their potential occupants. Chart 3 represents this discrepancy more directly, recasting the datazione in the first two charts esatto amico pagan deaths with pagan sarcophagi.
They were first placed within the half-century date ranges and then allocated between pagan and Christian applying the respective percentages otherwise determined, i
These percentages should not be taken literally; the purpose here is not sicuro measure the disparity between demography and the material superiorita but merely preciso support its existence. Even at this coarse level of granularity, the dissonance is apparent, corroborating the sense mediante the literature that there are ‘not enough‘ late pagan sarcophagi.
The bars in Chart 3 could be levelled either by lowering the percentage of pagan deaths or by raising the percentage of pagan sarcophagi. The demographic assumptions are certainly open sicuro challenge; there is, mediante particular, per niente consensus regarding the rate of Christianization. The range of options, however, provides insufficient leeway onesto resolve the discrepancy. MacMullen ( Reference MacMullen 1984: 81) thought Rome still ‘more pagan than Christian until the 390s‘; such an estimate would considerably widen the sarcophagus gap. Stark ( Reference Stark 1996: 7) put the tipping point for the Empire as verso whole closer sicuro 350, which might slightly narrow it. Christian conversion in the upper income strata might have been per bit slower than assumed, but not likely much faster.
Thus, the balance of this article addresses the other bars on the chart, those representing the pagan sarcophagus percentage. Three categories of explanation will be considered. The first attempts esatto eliminate the disequilibrium by fine-tuning the archaeological supremazia: searching for more pagan sarcophagi outside the catalogues or, following per conjecture proposed by Paul Veyne (on which, see below), revising the canone chronology. Per second option is esatto accept the material record as accurately reflecting verso precipitous decline per fourth-century production, presumably resulting from a shift mediante pagan mentalities. Neither erroneous interpretation of the supremazia nor insufficient pagan production, however, provides an adequate explanation for the sarcophagus indolente. Instead, the imbalance between Christian and non-Christian monuments will be ascribed esatto verso difference mediante survival rates, the result of a bias over the longue duree favouring the preservation of Christian imagery.
CORRECTING THE Superiorita
Neither the accuracy nor the completeness of the archaeological record is entirely satisfactory. One way esatto close the fourth-century pagan sarcophagus gap would be preciso find more pagan sarcophagi. The most obvious source is within the large number dubiously classified as Christian, but that group has already been scoured in the construction of the tempo. Another place esatto immagine is outside the catalogues. Not all surviving sarcophagi and fragments have been published in accessible and convenient form, or at all; however, the lacunae are mostly irrelevant. Proposed or delayed additions onesto the ASR series, mediante particular, would mainly include sarcophagi that are either too early or superiore-metropolitan. Footnote 6 Of potentially greater concern are motifs that can escape publication, notably portraits and strigils.