Two elite tombs from the Roman Republic, dating back more than 2,400 years, have been unearthed near Via Pietralata in the northeast of modern-day Rome.
The tombs in the burial chamber were together inside a funerary complex and near what may have been a temple to the Greek demigod Hercules, who was a popular symbol of protection for the Romans. The excavations include an ancient road and two large monumental basins or tanks that may have been used for sacred rituals.
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Evidence of ancient occupation around Via Pietralata was discovered in the 1990s, and excavations of the temple area began in 2022 under the direction of government archaeologist Fabrizio Santi. This area was outside the walls of ancient Rome, but is now the outskirts of the modern city.
The archaeological team then discovered bronze coins indicating that the temple was used between the 5th or 4th century BC (archaeologists disagree on dates, but it is believed that Rome was a republic) and the 1st century AD, when Rome became an empire.
Some media outlets have claimed that the finds included six bronze statues of Hercules, but the Italian Ministry of Culture’s report makes no mention of such finds. In fact, the shrine once had a central statue, but it is now gone, the statement said.
ancient inhabitants
In a separate translated statement, Santi said the graves could be evidence that the area was occupied by a group of wealthy families known as the Roman gens. One of the newly discovered graves contains a sarcophagus and three cremation urns, and the other contains the skeleton of an adult male.
Two stone basins or tanks were built more than 100 years later than the tomb. The largest was 90 feet (28 meters) long, about 33 feet (10 meters) wide, and about 7 feet (2.1 meters) deep, and the second one was slightly smaller but almost twice as deep.
“They could be structures associated with rituals or, less likely, with productive activities or water harvesting,” Santi said. “Thorough scientific research will allow us to put these discoveries into context and understand their role in ancient landscapes.”
The ancient road was an important element of the site, he said. It was connected to a small building of worship called a sacerm (Latin for “shrine”) dedicated to the god. Probably the deified hero Hercules, whose worship was popular in the area.
Hercules was the Roman version of the Greek hero Hercules (or Hercules) and was said to be the son of the god Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans) and the human Alcmene. He is legendary for his incredible strength, and his worship as a symbol of protection and virtue spread throughout Rome for centuries.
