‘Scultura funeraria’ e sepolture di prestigio: uno sguardo archeologico su contesti e ideologia della morte nell’alto Medioevo italiano

Funerary Sculpture and Prestigious Burials: An Archaeological Con-textual Approach to the Ideology of Death in Early Medieval Italy.This article focuses on carved funerary slabs from Italy, dating from the 7thto the 10th century, alongside references to the production of sarcophagi from the same chronological horizon. Developments in decoration are presented, not just from an art-historical perspective, but also by trying to link the choices of specific motifs or the decorative layout to broader cultural aspects. We analyse relationships between figurative components and inscriptions while also investigating the different grave types to which the slabs were correlated, the problems linked to their original use contexts, productive aspects (the supply of stone materials to the artisans), and to the end-users of these objects. Lastly, we assess the very idea of “funerary sculpture” during the Early Middle Ages, examining the specific details within the broader context of sculpture in this period.Keywords: sculpture, funerary slabs, patronage, production, ideology of death, early medieval Italy.