A sarcophagus is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek ÏάÏξ sarx meaning "flesh", and Ïαγεá¿Î½ phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarcophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos . Since lithos is Greek for stone, lithos sarcophagos means "flesh-eating stone". The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to decompose the flesh of corpses interred within it.
A sarcophagus is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek ÏάÏξ sarx meaning "flesh", and Ïαγεá¿Î½ phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarcophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos . Since lithos is Greek for stone, lithos sarcophagos means "flesh-eating stone". The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to decompose the flesh of corpses interred within it....