Inv. Scu 1897

Sarcophagus front carved with figures that take up the entire field available. The composition depicts an episode of the myth of Meleager and the hunt of the Calydonian boar; particularly popular in the mid imperial period, the subject was adopted to celebrate the heroic virtues of the deceased.
The figures, framed by a smooth fillet, are arranged into two separate scenes.
To the left, various standing figures are about to decide whether a female heroine, Atalanta, can be allowed to take part in the hunt. The scene on the right represents the hunt at its peak: to the far right is Meleager who, helped by Atalanta (who evidently was granted permission), is about to slain the enormous boar with bristled hair that is rushing out of a cave.
The sarcophagus can be dated to the Antonine period .
Formerly built into the wall of the steps leading to the church of S. Maria in Aracoeli, the sarcophagus was moved to the Capitoline Museum in 1812.