DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61617#0501
BURIAL PLACES
427
tained an urn. Directly over the inner niches, in the outside
of the wall and opening toward the street, are three other
niches, shown in the illustration, in the bottom of which were
libation tubes leading to the urns below. Relatives could
thus pour their offerings of wine or oil upon the urns with-
out entering the sepulchral chamber. Lava bust stones were
placed against the back of the outer niches. The hair on
one of them is treated in a manner to indicate that a woman
is represented. The entrance of the tomb was closed by a
large block of lava. On account of the arrangement for offer-
ing libations from the outside, it was not necessary to make
the burial vault easy of access.
The entrance to the other tomb (6; Fig. 238) was in front,
and closed by a block of travertine. It led, not to a sepulchral
chamber, but to a stairway by which one ascended to the second
story. Here sthtues were placed, but the exact form of the
upper part cannot be determined. The finding of five tufa
capitals suggests that the second story may have been a colum-
nar structure, like that of the tomb of the Istacidii; when the
excavations are carried further east enough other fragments
will perhaps be found to make a complete restoration possible.
One of the statues is of a man holding a roll of papyrus in his
hand, with a round manuscript case, scrinium, at his feet.
Among the inscriptions painted on these tombs were two,
relating to gladiatorial combats, which have already been men-
tioned (p. 215). One of the election notices, oddly enough,
refers to a candidate for an office in Nuceria: L. Munatium
Caeserninum Nuceriae II wir. quinq. v. b. 0. v.f. (for duumvirum
quinquennalem, vintm bonum, oro vos, facite), — ‘ Make Lucius
Caeserninus quinquennial duumvir of Nuceria, I beg of you,
he’s a good man.’ As long as the relations of the Pompeians
and Nucerians were friendly, the highway between the two
towns was doubtless much travelled by the citizens of both
places.
If the visitor pauses to think of the religious feeling which
the ancients manifested generally in relation to their burial
places, it gives something of a shock to see notices even of a
semi-public character painted in bright red letters upon tombs.
427
tained an urn. Directly over the inner niches, in the outside
of the wall and opening toward the street, are three other
niches, shown in the illustration, in the bottom of which were
libation tubes leading to the urns below. Relatives could
thus pour their offerings of wine or oil upon the urns with-
out entering the sepulchral chamber. Lava bust stones were
placed against the back of the outer niches. The hair on
one of them is treated in a manner to indicate that a woman
is represented. The entrance of the tomb was closed by a
large block of lava. On account of the arrangement for offer-
ing libations from the outside, it was not necessary to make
the burial vault easy of access.
The entrance to the other tomb (6; Fig. 238) was in front,
and closed by a block of travertine. It led, not to a sepulchral
chamber, but to a stairway by which one ascended to the second
story. Here sthtues were placed, but the exact form of the
upper part cannot be determined. The finding of five tufa
capitals suggests that the second story may have been a colum-
nar structure, like that of the tomb of the Istacidii; when the
excavations are carried further east enough other fragments
will perhaps be found to make a complete restoration possible.
One of the statues is of a man holding a roll of papyrus in his
hand, with a round manuscript case, scrinium, at his feet.
Among the inscriptions painted on these tombs were two,
relating to gladiatorial combats, which have already been men-
tioned (p. 215). One of the election notices, oddly enough,
refers to a candidate for an office in Nuceria: L. Munatium
Caeserninum Nuceriae II wir. quinq. v. b. 0. v.f. (for duumvirum
quinquennalem, vintm bonum, oro vos, facite), — ‘ Make Lucius
Caeserninus quinquennial duumvir of Nuceria, I beg of you,
he’s a good man.’ As long as the relations of the Pompeians
and Nucerians were friendly, the highway between the two
towns was doubtless much travelled by the citizens of both
places.
If the visitor pauses to think of the religious feeling which
the ancients manifested generally in relation to their burial
places, it gives something of a shock to see notices even of a
semi-public character painted in bright red letters upon tombs.