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Rare tomb found in Naples
A rare underground funerary chamber was recently found during excavations in advance of the laying of a water pipeline in northern Naples, Italy.
Measuring 3m by 4m, the walls of the chamber are completely covered in frescoes, which are still in excellent condition. Several of the paintings depict images of the underworld, including the three-headed dog Cerberus and Mercury, messenger of the gods. Two sarcophagi containing skeletal remains were found within the chamber, as well as a table on which another skeleton appears to have been placed at a slightly later date. There were also a number of grave goods and an altar with vases. The tomb is believed to date sometime between the foundation of the colony of Liternum in 194 BC and the end of burials on the site in AD 27.
‘Burial bundles’ discovered in Peru
A number of well- preserved ‘burial bundles’ dating to the period of the Wari Empire (AD 800-1100) have been discovered during excavations at Pachacámac, near Lima.
The site was occupied from c.200 BC up to the Early Colonial Period (AD 1533-1572) and is home to several large temples, domestic buildings, and cemeteries of various dates. Recent investigations by the University of Warsaw at one of the cemetery complexes uncovered 73 burials wrapped in fabric bundles and seated in a foetal position. Several of them were found wearing wooden or ceramic masks attached to false heads. The burials are now under-going further analysis to learn more about Wari society and social organisation.
Baboons in ancient Egypt
Investigations into 36 mummified baboons from the Gabbanat el-Qurud site, near Thebes, have revealed new insights into how these animals were treated.
Baboons were venerated in ancient Egypt, and are frequently found in cemeteries from the period, but the recent project showed that many of the baboons studied appear to have suffered from metabolic disorders, possibly related to a poor diet and lack of sunlight. This suggests that the animals were largely raised, and perhaps even born, in captivity. Interestingly, two different species were identified – Papio anubis, from the Sudanese Nile Valley, and Papio hamadryas, from either the Horn of Africa or the southern Arabian Peninsula – indicating that not all of the original breeding pairs had come from the same location.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka
