Two very rare, almost actual statues were discovered during the excavation of a huge tomb in Pompeii.
Archaeologists claim that the funeral statues of marble, representing a man wearing a toga and a woman, shed new light on the power exerted by the priestesses in the ancient city, which was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 AD
Unaware during excavations in progress in the tomb, located outside the entrance gates of Porto Sarno, the woman’s statue is slightly higher than that of the man beside her.
She is adorned with luxurious jewelry, including earrings, bracelets and rings, as well as a growing -shaped pannant necklace, similar to those worn by the priestesses of Ceres – Fertility, Agriculture and Maternal Cults – as reported by Pompeii Archaeological Park in a statement announcing the discovery.
The pendant, called “lunula”, was used by priestesses to ward off evil forces from birth to marriage.
“The crescent moon symbol also had atavistic and primordial meaning related to the fertility of the earth, abundance and rebirth, influenced by the lunar cycles,” according to the research article About the discovery, published online.
The woman’s tunic is covered by a cover, and she holds what appears to be a papyrus roll and bay leaves – often used to purify and bless religious spaces, dispersing the smoke from ceremonial incense through the environment.
Women’s adornments suggest that she was more important than the man, according to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeia Archaeological Park. This may indicate that they were not married, and that the man may be a priest or even her son.
The city of Pompeia was buried by ash and volcanic glass after the eruption of Vesuvius, and archaeologists have been digging the site since the eighteenth century, in a vast continuous project.
The current excavation, called research project investigating the archeology of death in Pompeii, began in July 2024 and is led by Spanish archaeologist Llorenç Alapont, in partnership with the University of Valencia and the Archaeological Park.
The area was discovered in 1998 during the construction of a train line between Naples and Pompei. So far, more than 50 cremation sites have been identified.
“This campaign is a valuable opportunity to expand research and appreciation activities of the area outside the walls of Pompeia,” Zuchtriegel said in a press release sent to CNN .
Previous discoveries in the same area include mummified remains. In 2021, in the Sarno Porto necropolis, a tomb was found with a commemorative inscription dedicated to Marcus Venerius Segundo, a public slave and guardian of the Venus Temple.
“Thanks to collaboration with the University of Valencia, which was also responsible for the discovery a few years ago of the tomb of Marco Veneio Segundo in the same area, it was possible to develop a multidisciplinary project that involved several professionals in different stages, including archaeologists, architects, restorers and anthropologists,” explained Zuchtriegel.
The sculptures belong to a large class of funeral reliefs produced between the late first century BC and the first century DC, according to Alapont.
The exemplary found seem to date from the time of the late republic, between 133 and 31 AC according to the research article.
“However, this type of sculpture is very rare in southern Italy. It is even more unusual to find reliefs of priestesses holding their religious objects,” Alapont said in the statement. “It is evident that there were priestesses of Ceres in Pompeia, but this statue provides new evidence of the importance of this cult in the city.”
“In addition, Ceres’s cult has been historically associated with popular classes. However, the ostentation of the female figure may suggest that the priestly status was still reserved for women of a relatively high social position.”
The statues were transferred to the Grande lecture, the largest open space in Pompeia, where they will be restored and displayed on the show “Being Woman in Pompeia Ancient”, which will be inaugurated in the Archaeological Park on April 16.
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This content was originally published in royal rare statues are discovered in Pompei Tomb on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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