Nomen e Imago: presenza e assenza nei ritratti sui sarcofagi romani

The problem of the unfinished portrait heads on Roman sarcophagi is a long debated one. Several solutions have been proposed – serial production, superstition, finishing in stucco or painting – but none without its problems. Rather than propose further explanation, this paper aims to contribute to the comprehension of the phenomenon from an anthropological and semiotic point of view. The sources and the archaeological evidence demonstrate a close connection between the name and the imago – the portrait of the deceased. The imago is equivalent to the name in the figural language, with the same capacity to identify a person (also from a juridical point of view). This conclusion means that the patron had his sarcophagus prepared while he was alive, but without finishing the portrait (a duty of the heirs).