Recent excavations in the Porta Sarno funerary area of Pompeii have led to the extraordinary discovery of a monumental tomb adorned with a life-size relief depicting a married couple. This exceptional find, a result of the "Investigating the Archaeology of Death in Pompeii Research Project," sheds new light on the funerary practices, religious beliefs, and social structure of the ancient Vesuvian city.
The area under investigation is located east of Porta Sarno, in a zone partially explored in 1998 during the construction of the Circumvesuviana railway line's double tracks. The earlier excavations had revealed the presence of over 50 cremation burials, marked by stelae (columellae), and a funerary monument with an arch. The recent excavation campaign, through a four-meter by four-meter trench, has allowed for a more complete documentation of the area, including bioarchaeological studies and an investigation into the period when the necropolis was abandoned.
The most significant discovery was the monumental tomb, consisting of a wide wall in opus incertum covered with painted plaster, with several niches in its west-facing facade intended for cremation burials. The tomb was crowned by an extraordinary tuff relief depicting a life-size young married couple. The archaic style of the sculpture suggests a Republican dating, a rare find in Southern Italy. The structure, originally 0.81 m wide and approximately 4 m long, but preserved only up to 2.72 m due to collapse, stood 1.60 m high, with only 0.60 m visible above ground level in the 1st century AD. The partial collapse of the tomb's southern half, caused by earthquakes prior to the 79 AD eruption, is evidenced by the discovery of a fragment of the decorated pediment that originally crowned the structure.
The life-size relief shows a well-to-do couple portrayed frontally, proudly emphasizing their social status through imagery. The sculpture is remarkable for its delicacy and attention to detail, visible in the carving of the hands, fingers, nails, the folds of the clothing, and the jewelry.
The husband is depicted as a Roman citizen of high status, wearing a toga draped over his left shoulder and around his right arm, with his right hand holding the sinus and his left resting against his thigh. His feet are shod in calcei patricii, shoes that reached mid-shin and were tied at the instep, symbols of high social rank. Further indicators of his status include the detailed curls of his hair, the rendering of his eyes, and the ring on the proximal phalanx of the ring finger of his left hand.
The wife is portrayed veiled, dressed in a large cloak (himation) over her tunic (chiton), following the iconographic model of Pudicitia. The woman wears numerous ornaments, including amphora-shaped earrings and a necklace with pendants also in the shape of amphorae and, centrally, a lunula, a crescent moon amulet. The lunula was traditionally worn by girls from birth until marriage as protection against evil forces and had a primordial meaning linked to fertility and rebirth.
A detail of extraordinary importance is that the woman holds an aspergillum of laurel leaves in her hands, with traces of green paint still visible. The aspergillum was a ceremonial instrument used by priests and priestesses to purify and bless spaces by dispersing the smoke of incense or aromatic herbs burned during religious ceremonies. The presence of this object clearly indicates that the depicted woman was a priestess.
The lunula present on the married woman's necklace may further identify her as a priestess of the Goddess Ceres. In Roman religion, Ceres had a strong symbolic connection with the moon and the fertility of the earth. The priestesses of Ceres, along with the Vestals and Salian virgins, were the only public priestesses in Roman society, representing the entire community and enjoying great prestige and public financial support. Epigraphic evidence from Pompeii confirms the existence of priestesses of Ceres, with seven women known to have held this position through funerary and honorific inscriptions. This relief provides new and significant evidence of the importance of the cult of Ceres in Pompeii and the active role of women in its religious sphere.
The tomb excavations have also revealed important details about the funerary rituals practiced for the deceased woman. In front of the tomb's facade, a floor level was identified with numerous ceramic remains, mainly fragments of thin-walled vessels and ceramic ointment jars, suggesting frequent visits to the burial site. In front of the niche corresponding to the wife's relief, a female tuff stela marked her burial. Inside the same niche, behind the stela, a broken glass ointment jar and a fragment of a broken bronze mirror were found. The presence of ointment jars is a clear indication of rites of libation performed at the sepulchre with perfumed oils. Mirrors in ancient Rome had multiple meanings, including magical and divinatory ones, and their discovery in funerary contexts is attested.
A coin depicting the god Neptune holding a trident on its reverse was found in the pit where the columella was placed. The interpretation of coins in funerary contexts is complex: traditionally seen as Charon's obol for passage to the afterlife, more recent interpretations consider them as offerings or protective amulets. Below the sediment where the coin was found, a flat tile (tegula) covered and closed the burial. Beneath the tegula, a small, complete and intact thin-walled vessel had been carefully placed on the sediment containing the cremation remains. This vessel may have been used for a ritual of consecrating the tomb, perhaps by pouring wine over the bones. At the base of the tomb, a large quantity of burnt human bones was found, white in color, indicating cremation at high temperatures (over 650° C). The morphological analysis of the bone fragments revealed that they belonged to a mature female individual, with signs of osteoarthritis in several joints. Remains of charcoal, ash, and pine nuts were also found with the bones.
In conclusion, the discovery of this monumental tomb with the detailed relief of the spouses in the Porta Sarno funerary area represents a find of exceptional value for understanding the funerary customs, religious beliefs, and social structure of Pompeii between the late Republican period and the 1st century AD. The rare depiction of a woman as a priestess of Ceres, identified by the aspergillum and possibly the lunula, offers new and valuable information about the active role of women in the religious life of the Pompeian community and the importance of the cult of Ceres in the city.
The two sculptures, carved in high relief, have been transferred to the Palestra Grande of the excavations of Pompeii to begin restoration work and will be the outstanding exhibits of the exhibition “Essere donna nell’antica Pompei” (Being a woman in ancient Pompeii) which will open on 16 April. Visitors will be able to observe the delicate procedures involved in the restoration process which will be carried out during the exhibition.
Source: Pompeii Archaeological Park