Necropolis |

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Apr 12 2008, 7:07 AM EDT	clemio
Mar 26 2008, 11:18 AM EDT	clemio

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Location

Roman cemeteries lined roads leading to or away from cities. In the case of Pompeii, tombs are to be found outside the Nola Gate, the Herculaneum Gate, the Vesuvius Gate and, most spectacularly, the Nucerian Gate.

The necropolis outside the Nucerian Gate consists of a series of tombs lining the Via Nuceria. There are various types of tombs: chamber tombs, cube tombs, altar-shaped tombs, aedicule tombs, and these range chronologically from the Republican period to the last years of Pompeii.

In contrast to today’s cemeteries, which are set off from areas frequented by the living and rarely visited, Roman cemeteries were fairly bustling with activity.

As evidence of this, there are over 180 graffiti painted and scratched onto the Nucerian Gate tombs, ranging from political slogans to adverts for games at the amphitheatre.
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Among the many monuments are the tomb of L. Ceius Serapius, the tomb of L. Cellius, the mausoleum of Veia Barchilla, the tomb of Eumachia, the sepulchre of the gens Tillia (a family tomb), the tomb of M. Octavius and his wife Vertia Philumina and the tomb of the P. Vesonius Phileros.

Tomb of the Necropolis at the Nucerian Gate

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These texts provide a rare glimpse of life beyond the walls, and demonstrate that this cemetery was itself a distinct neighborhood, though one integrated with the city itself.

Tombs lining the Via Nuceria