Necropolis of Porta Nola, Pompeii – new discoveries

During the first season of a three-year project at the site of Porta Nola, Pompeii, archaeologists report the first results.

The study of the necropolis permits the study of the physical characteristics of the inhabitants of Pompeii, as well as their diet, way of life and funerary practices.

tombobelliusfirmus2

Monumental tomb of Marcus Obellius Firmus, Porta Nola, Pompeii. Credits: Porta Nola Necropolis Project

The necropolis offers a unique opportunity as different levels of social strata are represented around the cemetery, from the monumental tomb of Marcus Obellius Firmus, to the burials of the Praetorian guards to the so-called poor graves alongside the city wall.

During the first excavation of the area in the mid-1970s, several casts were made of fifteen individuals discovered fleeing Pompeii, eighteen hours after the beginning of the eruption. These casts are also being examined, as preserved within the plaster casts are the skeletal remains of the individuals.

The area immediately outside of Porta Nola (the Nolan Gate) was first cleared in 1907-8.

Porta Nala excavations, Pompeii

Porta Nola excavations, Pompeii

Since then, soil has once again accumulated opposite the gate, re-burying an unknown 'schola' type tomb.

The project has cleared the basalt block roads and brought back to light the Augustan period tomb.

The third area the excavation has focused upon this year lies immediately alongside the city walls where in the late 19th century excavations discovered 36 cremation urns. Traditionally these tombs have been interpreted as graves of the 'poor'.

The tomb of Obellius Firmus, interior view

The tomb of Obellius Firmus, interior view. Photo credit: Porta Nola Necropolis Project

The 2015 excavations have revealed a different picture with the discovery of a further two urns and an inhumation burial, covered in fragments of amphora, of a baby, aged between 3 and 6 months.

Cremation urn with ashes

Cremation urn with ashes, Porta Nola necropolis, Pompeii. Photo credit: Porta Nola Necropolis Project

The urns, as well as containing the ashes of the deceased, also contain a coin, as well as funerary goods, usually a small ceramic unguentarium. The project has been able to date these burials, through the stratigraphic excavation to the late Republican - Early Imperial period.

A further part of the project is the study of the casts made of the victims of the AD 79 eruption discovered in the mid-1970s near the tomb of Obellius Firmus.

Glass ware fragments, necropolis Porta Nala

Glass ware fragments unearthed at necropolis Porta Nola, Pompeii. Photo credit: Porta Nola Necropolis Project

The analytical study of the casts, coordinated by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Pompei, Ercolano e Stabia (Dott. Stefano Vanacore and Dott.ssa Annalisa Capurso), has allowed the determination of the age, sex, pathologies and activities of the individuals.

Furthermore, the anthropological data, together with photogrammetry, x-ray analysis and 3D reconstruction allows the reconstruction of the original positions at the moment of death.

The project is also reconstructing the faces of some of the individuals.

The project will present the results of the research both through a series of exhibitions and articles for the scientific community.

Source:

AncientPages.com