Pompeii, tomb relief with a life-size couple emerges in the Necropolis of Porta Sarno

During an archaeological excavation conducted in the Porta Sarno Necropolis, as part of the research project Investigating the Archaeology of Death in Pompeii, by theUniversitat de València in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii under the scientific direction of Llorenç Alapont, a funerary relief depicting a man and a woman, carved to near life size, emerged. The work was part of a monumental tomb located in the Porta Sarno necropolis.

The two high relief sculptures have been transferred to the excavations’ Palestra Grande, where they will undergo restoration. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe their restoration work live, as it will be carried out during the exhibition Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii, which opens to the public on April 16.

The area under investigation since July 2024 corresponds to an area already excavated in the 1990s, during work on the construction of the Circumvesuviana double track. Excavations conducted in 1998 had already revealed more than 50 cremation burials, marked by funerary stelae and an imposing arched monument. More recent research, however, has unearthed a monumental tomb consisting of a wide wall with niches, above which stand two carved figures, one male and one female, possibly a married couple.

Some details, particularly the carved accessories worn by the woman, suggest that she may be a priestess of Ceres. The quality of the carving and the archaizing style of the sculptures suggest that the relief dates to the late Republican period.

“This campaign is a valuable opportunity to expand research and enhancement activities in the area outside the walls of Pompeii,” says Pompeii Archaeological Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel. “Thanks to the collaboration with the University of Valencia, to whom we also owe the discovery a few years ago of the Tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundius in the same area, it has been possible to work on a multidisciplinary project that has seen in the various stages the involvement of different professionals including archaeologists, architects, restorers, anthropologists.”

Details and insights related to the study hypotheses can be found in the article edited by Llorenç Alapont et al, now published in the E-Journal of Pompeii Excavations https://pompeiisites.org/e-journal-degli-scavi-di-pompei/

Photo by Alfio Giannotti.

Pompeii, tomb relief with a life-size couple emerges in the Necropolis of Porta Sarno

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