Few catalogues have been produced in the last decade on the subject of Roman sarcophagi and so this book by Alessandro Teatini is a very welcome addition to the field. T. provides the reader with an impressively detailed catalogue and iconographic description of all known sarcophagi currently located in Sardinia and then follows up with a brief analysis of the monuments as a whole. T.'s aim is to provide an update to the work of G. Pesce on Sardinian sarcophagi (Sarcofagi romani di Sardegna (1957)) and the goal is certainly achieved successfully with an exhaustive catalogue of eighty-five sarcophagi (including fragments and lids), and an accompanying 359 images of the sarcophagi, details, sides and numerous iconographic comparanda (an average of four per entry), and a further analysis of the local production of some of these monuments. It is clear that a great deal of time and effort has been invested in this book.

The heading for each entry consists of the number of the item in the catalogue and a brief description of the type of sarcophagus and the iconography, and below a summary is given of the basic information in four sections (collection, location and sometimes provenance; material; dimensions; bibliography). A separate section on provenance could have been considered as this would clarify which items have an antique provenance and which do not — instead of necessitating a perusal of the entry itself. The contents page includes an extensive index with a one-sentence description of each item and page number, but not the catalogue number, which would have been a helpful addition.

The catalogue is divided into five sections based on place of manufacture and further into iconographic types: Rome with twenty-one different types, Ostia three, Campania one, Carthage two, and six items of local production. The basic organization of the catalogue is difficult to follow, as the reader is not provided with a key to understanding the centres of production and the iconographic groupings further than consulting ASR (Die antiken Sarkophagreliefs) or Pesce, and so it is difficult to locate individual items easily. T. structured the work in this way (15–16) in order to highlight the production centres which are often overlooked by other iconographically themed works and to avoid the chronological model which is fraught with the obvious difficulties of conflating iconography and date. These principles are sound, but result in a work that is perhaps aimed at the specialist rather than a more generic academic audience. Further indices and concordances to CIL and Koch and Sichtermann (Römische Sarkophage (1982)) would also be useful for the user.

More than two-thirds of all the entries come under the heading of ‘Roman production’ and therefore T. could have chosen to order entries first by iconographic type and then analysed the production centre in the final part. The title of the work would also imply such a method of organization. Ultimately, the themes of production centre and iconography are not analysed as a whole in the catalogue section and so the entire work could simply have been organized by current location — arguably resulting in a more usable catalogue from the outset. Such typological issues occur, for instance, in entry no. 62 (284–9), described under ‘temi decorativi: sarcofagi con clipeo’: an item that on closer examination does not contain a clipeus, but depicts two victories holding an inscribed tabula; nor is it a sarcophagus, but a lid.

The analysis of twenty-seven pages following the catalogue is extremely interesting and a brief one-page overview of iconographic motifs is given. It is difficult to follow, however, as there are no graphs and tables to summarize the material discussed. The subsequent treatment of the production centres yields fascinating information regarding the use of local stone and the discovery of a local workshop serving the Roman colony of Turris Libisonis that carved marble (fourteen examples including one likely to be of Proconnesian marble, no. 84). A brief discussion of the antique provenance of the sarcophagi (417–22) is provided along with excellent maps showing the ancient location of fifty-four of the eighty-five collated items: including detailed maps of Cagliari (thirty-three sarcophagi), Porto Torres (eleven) and Olbia (ten). The re-use of some of the eighty-five sarcophagi might indicate a previous function as reliquaries, indicating that these could have been exported from Rome to Sardinia as late as the medieval period and may not come from tombs near to the churches where they were found. T. presents many possibilities for a genuine ancient provenance, but this remains an interesting avenue for further study and debate.

Each item in the catalogue is given substantial treatment (on average a four-page independent essay describing the artistic motifs in detail). This is extremely useful if the reader is looking for a thorough description of one particular sarcophagus, but an overview of the different artistic motifs is not fully undertaken—which is a pity. The study of the iconography, therefore, could have been included more comprehensively in the final analysis rather than in each catalogue entry. This reservation aside, this is an enjoyable, detailed and well-researched work, and T.'s book as a tool for further iconographic analysis is an absolutely invaluable resource.