Parietal fragment belonging to a sarscophagus carved in marble with the representation in high relief of a battle scene. Rome. I-II Century A.D. A single block in good state of preservation, without restorations. Faults in the face. There is an almost complete figure of a military man, but in the absence of identification due to the loss of the face, it could well be a specific hero or warrior. By the position of the semi-profile body looking to the right, where the scene would happen, it presents an action of raising the shield that it holds with the left hand while the right arm that is conserved would sustain with its hand the sword nailing it in an enemy. The relief presents a flat bottom with the vaulted upper vertex marking the limit of the sarcophagus. Therefore this fragment would correspond to a scene of the front face of the vat, since the upper smoothing indicates the point where the lid would settle. It can be appreciated how the craftsmen who carved it had skill in their trade; the perfection in smoothing the bottom, the anatomical details of the soldier, the thickness of the figure, and it can be observed how the head would be almost completely separated from the bottom of the sarcophagus. It is undoubtedly an example of an important tomb in terms of its technical and artistic level. This male torso belongs to a complete sculpture representing a military man. Although it seems that only the breastplate, placed directly on the skin, is visible, it was normal for him to wear a tunic or "colobium", with short sleeves that reached to the knees to then put on the armor. In the larger or life-size sculptures this tunic can be seen, in this case, in the absence of the legs, it is not certain that the craftsman sculpted it. The anatomical armor draws the volume of the chest and lower abdomen, decorated by a double ribbon that is knotted on his stomach. The leather straps that usually prolong the breastplate are attached directly to it on the legs and arms. It is necessary to emphasize the high quality in the iconographic representation of the armor, a very good sculptural work has been achieved. For the position that has already been commented is clearly performing an action of attack therefore it induces to think that this unique military would be part of a much more complex scene. It was common in Roman culture to be buried in coffins, most of which, made of stone, had some kind of decoration, whether inscription, geometric or figurative decoration. The most outstanding ones were so large that the figures in relief could exceed one meter in height. Many have even been so reduced that they are almost free-standing sculptures. Roman sarcophagi were used in funerary practices in Ancient Rome. Those made from marble and limestone relief carving were characteristic of elite burial in the 2nd-4th century AD. Although mythological scenes have been widely used in different sites, reliefs from sarcophagi have been the richest source of Roman iconography. There are examples in which, in the absence of mythological elements, the occupation or the course of the deceased's life is represented, such as military scenes among other themes. Most of them were made in important cities, such as Rome and Athens, which exported them to other cities. In other places the tombstone stele remained more common. They were always very expensive items so they were employed by the elite and especially in the relatively few examples made with carving. Most were always relatively simple, with inscriptions or symbols such as garlands. Provenance: private collection Connecticut, USA.