An exciting inscription and some mummified remains: archaeologists have discovered an unusual grave in Pompeii. According to the plaque, it is the resting place of a freed slave who had apparently gained respect and was culturally involved in the city: he organized events in Greek. It is the first direct evidence of performances in this language in ancient Pompeii, say the experts.
No other site has given so many insights into life in the Roman Empire as the famous ancient city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. When the volcano buried the city under rubble and ashes in AD 79, it was a tragedy for the people, but a godsend for archeology. Because, like in a kind of time capsule, many structures have been preserved. There is still something new to discover in the buried area: In addition to excavations in the former urban area, archaeologists are also examining the former burial places. As the Pompeii Archaeological Park reports, the experts have now come across a particularly remarkable resting place in the Porta Sarno necropolis.
The grave dates from the last decades before the fall of the city and consists of a walled enclosure, on the facade of which you can see traces of floral ornaments on a blue background. In the 1.6 by 2.4 meter grave cell, the team discovered the skeleton of a man who, according to the research, was around 60 years old when he died. The remains are in an exceptionally good state of preservation: even hair and an ear have been preserved. The inscription on a marble slab on the gable of the tomb indicates that the deceased was Marcus Venerius Secundio. As the Archaeological Park reports, this man is already known from other Pompeii sources. Accordingly, it was a slave in the public service of the city, who had been granted freedom.
Performances in Greek
Subsequently, he obviously attained elevated social and economic status, as can be seen from the rather monumental tomb and the other details of the inscription. Accordingly, he was accepted into the ranks of the Augustales – the college of priests dedicated to the imperial cult. In addition, the inscription announces a special cultural commitment of the successful ex-slave: He therefore organized public events in the city for a period of four days. The special thing about it is that there is talk of “Ludi graeci” – Marcus Venerius Secundio presented performances in Greek.
“This is the first clear evidence of ideas in this language in Pompeii that were previously suspected on the basis of indirect evidence,” says Gabriel Zuchtriegel from the Pompeii Archaeological Park. “The fact that performances were organized in this ancient lingua franca, next to Latin, testifies to the lively and open cultural climate that shaped ancient Pompeii,” said Zuchtriegel.
Was the dead man mummified?
In addition to the inscription, however, the type of burial of Marcus Venerius Secundio is also unusual, the team emphasizes. As a rule, urns from the cremated dead were buried in the necropolis. In this case, however, the body was buried unburned in a burial chamber. The hermetically sealed room evidently created conditions that have resulted in the remains in an exceptionally good state of preservation.
But maybe that wasn’t all: “We now have to find out whether the partial mummification of the deceased is due to deliberate treatment or not,” explains Llorenç Alapont from the University of Valencia. “The analysis of residual substances that have also been obtained could provide further information on this. Because we know from sources that certain textiles were used for embalming, ”says Alapont.
Source: Parco Archeologico di Pompei