Culture

Tombs found in Rome keep curses

Archaeologists have discovered on the site of the ancient Roman port of Ostia a cemetery, on the graves of which are written curses designed to scare off looters.

Italian archaeologists have discovered an unusual find. On the site of the ancient Roman port, which supposedly existed about 2, 700 years ago, a whole cemetery was found. Specialists hope that numerous graves will be able to reveal all the vicissitudes of the development of the Eternal City. Ostia “was a very open city, very vibrant,” said Paola Germoni, the caretaker of the ancient site, the third most popular after the Coliseum and Pompeii. “The surprising thing about the burial found is that there are traces of both burials and cremations.” The extraordinary nature of the cemetery can be traced even in a small series of tombs - members of the same family could be buried in different ways.

This is not the last find of Ostia. In April, archaeologists said they managed to unearth the walls of local buildings. They turned out to be 35 percent more than expected, which allows us to believe that the city buried under the layers of time was even larger than Pompeii.

Ostia, which was founded in the 7th century BC and occupied an area of ​​85 hectares, which was once located at the mouth of the Tiber River, moved three kilometers from the sea due to constant siltation. The place where the graves were recently discovered was inside a huge park not far from the mighty Renaissance castle, as well as numerous residential buildings, warehouses and a theater. The port was built by order of Ancus Marcius, the fourth ruler of Rome. Vladyka thus wanted to provide access to the sea to the rapidly growing and developing Eternal City and at the same time protect Rome from attacks by enemy ships.

Archaeologists have discovered about a dozen burials. Unusual inscriptions were found on several graves, after decoding of which it was established that these were curses designed to scare the vandals away. “The cemetery shows freedom of choice in relation to its body,” says Hermoni. “Such freedom did not exist after the introduction of Christianity.”

Recent excavations, which began in 2012, also gave the world another buried house of local nobility. Thirty students from the American Institute for Roman Culture are also participating in the research. In order to become more familiar with the latest finds, scientists from Canada, Switzerland and the United States of America have already begun to arrive in Rome. “These excavations are necessary in many ways,” explains Darius Arya, an American archaeologist who heads the institute. - “Particular attention is paid to the study of tombs.”

Among students engaged in excavations in Ostia, Michael Ann Morrison, from the American town of Austin, is a graduate of the Department of Religious Studies. “You have to work with fragile artifacts, which in itself is simply amazing,” she says. “I am doing an internship in this way. It’s an amazing place and experience in every way. ”

Watch the video: ANCIENT Curses That Might Actually Be REAL?! (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Culture, Next Article

Lake Garda
Italy

Lake Garda

If you want to combine incompatible things at first glance: a beach vacation with no exhausting heat; living in one place, but with an active tourist life, including a visit to the famous and not very sights of Italy; natural beauty with comfort and access to the benefits of civilization, then you are definitely here on Lake Garda.
Read More
Beautiful cities of central Italy
Italy

Beautiful cities of central Italy

Acquaintance with Italy, many seek to start with Rome or Florence. However, there are not so famous, but noteworthy cities in central Italy that you should visit at least once in your life. The most beautiful cities in central Italy are places to visit at least once in a lifetime, photo by Massimo Battesini Many travelers seek to start exploring Italy from Rome or Florence.
Read More
Porta Borsari
Italy

Porta Borsari

In ancient monuments there is something surprisingly attractive, large-scale, mysterious. When I look at the white gates of Borsari, I try to imagine what they looked like during the heyday of the Roman Empire, how merchants passed through them, horsemen rode through, brave legionnaires marched. Facade of Port Borsari Porta Borsari - ancient gates.
Read More
How to get from Linate Airport to Milan
Italy

How to get from Linate Airport to Milan

Linate is the smallest of Milan's airports, located near the city. Therefore, it is cheaper and more convenient to get to the center by city bus. Linate Airport Linate Airport (Aeroporto di Milano-Linate) is small, it serves short European and "home" Italian flights. There is only one three-story round-the-clock terminal.
Read More