Pre-Roman Graves Covered With Amphorae and Pompeii Era Fields Uncovered

Recent modernization work on the railway line in Pompeii and the construction of an underground parking lot have unearthed a pre-Roman necropolis, spanning from the 3rd to the 1st century BC, with 35 graves found so far. These atypical burials are in the form of simple pit inhumations, some covered with North African amphoras arranged in a striking pattern of seven. To add to this, excavations have also revealed extensive, perfectly preserved plowed fields under the thick layer of ash from the great Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD.

A Clearer Picture: Analysis of Grave Goods

The pre-Roman era occupation graves feature a few grave goods like perfume bottles and coins, along with skeletal remains, which are in excellent condition thanks to being submerged in groundwater, kickstarting a paleo-anthropological research campaign on the skeletal remains.

The discovery site is about 400 meters east of the Porta Sarno in the Pompeii Archaeological Park, and it's brought to light occupation levels that predate Roman colonization, reports a press release by Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per L’area Metropolitana di Napoli.

The excavations, which started in the spring of 2023, are being conducted as part of the “Modernization of the Circumvesuviana and Urban Compatibility Interventions of the Railway Line of the Municipality of Pompeii” project. The necropolis, a later discovery, occurred during the construction of an underground parking lot on Via Fucci.

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Tombs covered with amphorae with Punic inscriptions, found in Pompeii.  (Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per L'area Metropolitana di Napoli)

Superintendent Mariano Nuzzo emphasized the importance of this find, stating:

“We need to continue and expand our investigation to fully understand this necropolis and the ancient landscape of Pompeii’s eastern suburbs, about which little is still known. The collaboration between the Superintendency, the Municipality, and the EAV has been crucial in achieving significant results in protecting and enhancing this historically important area. We expect to share new data soon as the excavations continue.”

One of the pre-Roman tombs discovered near Pompeii. (Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per L'area Metropolitana di Napoli)

Understanding the Layers: Necropolis and Field

The fields, discovered under a deep layer of ash spewed all those years ago by Vesuvius, have their ancient furrows and ridges oriented north-south, and were used to grow vegetables for Pompeii’s daily markets.

Preliminary investigations in this area had begun back in 2007, with favorable opinions from the Pompeii Superintendent's Office, confirmed again in 2009 and 2010. These investigations, primarily involving geoarchaeological coring and trenching, revealed 79 AD levels more than 6 meters (19.68 feet) below the current ground level. The proximity of the ancient Sarno River, much closer to the city than it is today, played a crucial role in this agricultural activity, reports LBV Magazine.

To get a clearer picture of what was grown, macro-remains and pollen analyses are being conducted, and early signs suggest fields of perennial artichoke plants.

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Clearly plowed fields with vegetables under the ashes of the eruption of Vesuvius. (Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per L'area Metropolitana di Napoli)

Once containment works were completed using drainage pumps, control surveys were carried out about 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) below ground level, uncovering a channel with north-south orientation.

This channel contained various materials, likely from devastated earlier funerary contexts, plowed up by the Roman agricultural usage of the field. Hundreds of tile fragments, numerous dolia and amphorae shards, about 20 columellae made of local lava stone, tiles with Oscan stamps, and large wooden remains.

Among the treasures found is a female head sculpted from gray Campanian tuff with traces of red in the hairstyle—a standout discovery!

The channel seems to be related to the territorial reorganization of the Sullan period following the founding of the Roman colony of Pompeii in 89 BC, as an aftermath of the Social War (91–87 BC), a conflict between the Roman Republic and several of its autonomous allies, including Pompeii, reports The Heritage Daily.

Investigations and analyses continue, aiming to provide a multidisciplinary documentation of this fascinating archaeological context, which promises to yield even more exciting discoveries.

An official from the Superintendence concluded by saying:

“Thanks to preventive archaeology and the synergistic action between the Superintendency, the Municipality, and EAV, important results are being achieved in the field of protection and enhancement of a territory of crucial historical and archaeological importance.”

Top image: Grave covered in amphorae found in pre-Roman necropolis.           Source: Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per L'area Metropolitana di Napoli

By Sahir Pandey