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The Sarcophagus of Bacchus

The scene of the god Bacchus' triumphant return after his victorious expedition in India decorates this large marble sarcophagus discovered at the beginning of the 19th century in the Church of St. Irénée on Fourvière Hill.

Accompanied by Ariane, the god rides in a chariot pulled/drawn by a panther as his retinue precedes him, surrounding an elephant carrying two prisoners. Hercules, who has excessively indulged in the celebration, is supported by a Satyr. 

Why is this scene depicted on a Roman funerary monument?

The triumphant retinue symbolizes victory over death, and this joyous scene evokes « hope in a joyous hereafter ».

Gallic Bronze Calendar

Even though it is fragmentary, this Gallic calendar is the Museum's most popular piece. The original and its copy were loaned nearly ten times within the last five years for exhibits in France and other countries. This exceptional document, discovered in 1897 in the Ain Department in the town of Coligny, is of as much interest to the public as it is to researchers. In first place are numerous enthusiasts of Celtic civilization: the calendar is reputed to be the longest document in the Gallic language known today. Many terms, still undeciphered, preserve the mystery surrounding this object. Historians and astronomers are also curious: This is, in fact, a « moon-sun » calendar, onto which additional months have been added in an attempt to coordinate the Moon's phases and the solar year.

 

 

Sacrifice Scene

Following a convention of Antique art, the artist depicts on thesame plane, as on a cartoon strip, three moments of a single event: the sacrifice of three animals, called a suovetaurile because it brings together a pig (sus), a ram (ovis), and a bull (taurus). At left, the animals are led to the central altar. On the right, human figures walk away, taking quarters of meat with them (block from the Church of Beaujeu, Rhône).

Neptune

The hair and curly beard appear to be full of water and are plastered to the face of this bronze figure, which for this reason is identified as Neptune, god of the sea. According to classical conventions, he should be holding a dolphin in his right hand and a trident in his left. This statue was found in the Rhône River in 1859, near the Guillotière Bridge.

Sacrifice to Cybele

This altar commemorates a sacrifice offered to the goddess Cybele in 160 AD. The sacrificed animals, a bull and a ram, are shown on the side of the altar, as well as the sacrifice instrument, a type of hooked sword. The cult of this goddess, who was one of the « Eastern divinities » worshipped by the Romans, was visibly present in Lyon. Six commemorative altars confirm the cult's existence, but its location is still unknown.

The Mysteries of the Ascia

The representation of an ascia, or an adze – a woodworking tool used by carpenters and barrel-makers -- often appeared on 2nd and 3rd centuries funerary monuments in Lyon. Moreover, the epitaph mentions that the monument was dedicated “under the ascia.” No satisfactory explanation has yet been given for the presence of this tool. It must have played a symbolic role in the funeral rite, whose significance is still unknown.

The First Christians

The sober funerary inscriptions of the first Christians are a stark contrast to the ostentations character of Roman epitaphs. Detailed information about the earthly life of the deceased no longer figures in the inscription. The stylistic change is equally perceptible in the different formulas and decorations. Here, on the epitaph of one Ursus, dated precisely 493 AD, figure doves, a sheaf of wheat, and vines springing forth from a vase.

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