Scientists have uncovered the partially mummified bones of a Pompeii resident in a tomb outside of the city center.
Partial sea skeleton of a man named Marcus Venerius Secundio. (Image: Archaeological Park Courtesy of Pompeii / University of Valencia)
Scientists have discovered that the partially mummified remains of a Pompeii resident have been discovered in a tomb outside this city center.
The remains were buried before the famous eruption that buried the city of Pompeii in ashes.
According to the inscriptions on the tomb, the deceased was a man named Marcus Venerius Secundio, who died in his 60s and at one point was enslaved. After his release, Secundio became a well-to-do priest, conducting ceremonies in Latin and Greek.
The tomb inscription mentioning Greek rituals is the first direct evidence of Greek performances held in the Italian city.
Although the body is nearly 2,000 years old, the hair is cut short close to the head and one ear is still visible on the skull. (Image: Archaeological Park Courtesy of Pompeii / University of Valencia)
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Archaeological Park courtesy of Pompeii, said: “The performances held in Greek are proof of the lively and open cultural atmosphere that characterizes Pompeii. ancient”.
Secundio’s remains lie in a rectangular tomb, painted with green trees on a blue background. Traces of the paint still remain on the outer walls of the mausoleum. The partial body of the mummy was buried in a sealed alcove in the mausoleum with a vaulted ceiling, hair cut short to the scalp and one ear still attached to the skull.
The blue glass vase was found in the grave of Marcus Venerius Secundio. (Image: Archaeological Park Courtesy of Pompeii / University of Valencia)
Archaeologists also found rags and two glass vessels known as “unguentaria” at Secundio’s tomb. “Unguentaria” are small ceramic or glass vases commonly found in Roman and Greek cemeteries and may have been used to store oil or perfume for grave ceremonies.
The tomb also contains two urns, including a beautiful blue glass urn belonging to a woman whose name is inscribed as Novia Amabilis. According to archaeologists, cremation was the most common burial method of the Pompeii during the ancient Roman period.
However, the reason why Secundio’s remains were not cremated remains unknown and it is unclear whether his body was naturally mummified or treated to prevent decomposition.
The inscription on the tomb bears the name Marcus Venerius Secundio. (Photo: Pompeii Archaeological Park / University of Valencia)
The tomb is located in the Porta Sarno Necropolis, just outside the city walls of the Porta di Nola gate. Several famous people have been buried in the cemetery, including city administrator Marcus Obellius Firmus, who lived during the reign of Emperor Nero (AD 54 to 68).
According to previously discovered notes by banker Cecilius Giocondus, as well as inscriptions carved in marble on the tomb of Secundio, this man was a slave at the temple of Venus before being released. He later held the priesthood of the royal cult, dedicated to honoring the memory of the Roman emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD.
