The Sarcophagus is carved in the Egyptian porphyry, used only in the finest Byzantine imperial monuments. It is noted that the carved imagery depicts victorious Roman Cavalry riding above captured barbarians. It is unclear if such imagery was intended for the sarcophagus of a highly religious Christian woman, or whether the coffin was repurposed for her burial, though the latter is considered unlikely as Helena, as the Emperor's mother, would likely have held enough esteem as to have had a custom-made coffin.[1] It is 2.42 metres (7.9 ft) tall, 2.68 metres (8.8 ft) wide and 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) wide.[2]
Sarcophagus of Constantina
In the same room is the Sarcophagus of Constantina, a second porphyry work that once housed the body of Constantina, daughter of Constantine the Great (died 354). This was once in her mausoleum on Via Nomentana, which became the church of Santa Costanza in 1254, and later to this museum. The decoration is a semi-pagan depictions of cupids in Dionysic harvesting of grapes to make wine; it has been interpreted as an early Christian reference to the eucharist.
^McCarty, V.K. (2019), St. Helena: From Roman Concordia To Christian Caritas, The Canonical and Ethical Responses of Eastern Orthodoxy to the Challenges of Modernity, pp 1–17.