Fragment of a Sarcophagus Lid

Truncated at both ends, the relief shows young, naked athletes in a variety of activities at the palaestra, or training grounds. Three of them are engaged in a footrace, while another runner carries a shield as he trains for the hoplite race. One figure holds halteres; a form of dumbbells used as exercise equipment for wrestlers. In a scene unique to Roman sarcophagi, the athlete at left is preparing the grounds for the wrestling match with a pick or rake. The inscription in the tabula indicates that Iunia Rufina, daughter of Titus Aelius Maximus, had this sarcophagus made for her father. Known since the 1600s, this fragmentary lid belongs to the small group of so-called vita privata sarcophagi featuring idealized vignettes from the lives of Roman citizens.