In the necropolis of the Roman city of Liternum near Naples, archaeologists have uncovered two graves during excavations. They found different types of graves that witnesses from the Roman burial rituals. Inscriptions on marble boots also suggest that a gladiator was also buried there. This shows what reputation these fighters enjoyed in the Roman society. In addition, the location of the graves provides information on the former location of the Roman connecting road via Domitiana.
In the Italian community of Giugliano in Campania near Naples there was a great necropolis in Roman times, as archaeologists under the direction of Simona Formola discovered the superintendance for archeology in Naples. The death of the dead extended over 150 square meters and was in the field of ancient city of Liternum, which was populated by the Romans in 194 BC for the Roman colony and until the fourth century. The necropolis was not far from the forum and the amphitheater in Liternum.
Necropolis was built over several decades
One of the grave facilities of this Roman necropolis has now been uncovered there. It comprises two burial chambers that were separated by another room, as well as a very deep brick fountain, which according to the archaeologists probably served religious purposes. Received fragments and traces indicate that the grave system was once covered with white plaster and then decorated with red color. In the middle of one of the two burial chambers, the team found remains of a three -meter -three meter mausoleum made of gray tuff blocks. Plastered niches are preserved on the walls of this burial structure to accommodate urns.
Along the walls of the necropolis identified formola and its team about twenty graves, which testify to different Roman burial customs. Among them are so-called Capuchin graves (cappuccina type), in which the dead were buried with a simple cover made of tent-shaped bricks. In addition, the researchers found so-called enchytrismm graves, in which the bones-mostly by children-were buried in large amphorae, as well as box graves from brick walls with a brick roof. The archaeologists found coins, oil lamps and small ceramic vases in the graves. These tomb forms, which were built at different times and the grave goods, suggest that the Romans continued to use the necropolis from the end of the first century BC to the middle of the emperor in the second to third century AD.
Gladiator grave and Römerstrasse
The graves and graves provide valuable information about daily life, the rituals and the social dynamics of the Roman residents. The archaeologists also found several inscriptions in marble boards in the necropolis. One of these plaques is reminiscent of a gladiator and proves that these fighters enjoyed a high reputation in Roman society. “The finds add an important piece to our knowledge of the settlement history of the Liternum colony and are a unique opportunity to deepen the research of ancient civilization and the historical and cultural context of the time,” says superintendent Mariano Nuzzo.
In addition, the necropolis reveals more about how the Romans changed the landscape and how big the Liternum colony was. Because the graves were probably once due to the ancient via Domitiana, which led from southern Italy to Rome. Due to the location of the graves, the researchers are now hoping for indications of the exact course of this important Roman road through Liternum. The excavations are to be continued and compared with archive material in order to learn more about this historically and archaeologically important area.
Source: Superintendance for archeology, visual art and landscape for the Naples metropolitan region, Ministry of Culture of Italy