Pre-Roman tomb unearthed at Pompeii
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Amphoras of the fourth century BC were among the artifacts discovered at a Samnite tomb recently discovered at the Pompeii excavation site in Italy. Mario Laporta / Agence France-Presse |
Archaeologists have discovered a pre-Roman Empire tomb in perfect condition at Pompeii, the team at the archaeological site announced on Monday.
"Pompeii continues to be an inexhaustible source of scientific discoveries," Massimo Osanna, superintendent at the ancient city's site, said in a statement.
The ancient Roman Empire city, near present-day Naples in southern Italy, was frozen in time after Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, burying the town in ash until the site was discovered about 1,500 years later.
The tomb, unearthed by a team from the French Jean Berard Center in Naples, dates back to the Samnite era, and is located at the Herculaneaum Gate at Pompeii.
The Samnites were a group of tribes involved in fierce battles with the Romans in the fourth century BC.
The tomb contained a number of vases and amphoras in perfect condition, providing rare insight into the funerary practices of that era in Pompeii.
This discovery allows us "to carry out research on a historical period which has been relatively unexplored until now at Pompeii" said Osanna, an archaeologist who was appointed Pompeii's superintendent two years ago after great controversy over the state of maintenance at the vast site.
"These excavations prove that the city of Pompeii is still alive and that we must preserve it as it continues to provide us with material for research," said Osanna.
With 2.7 million visitors in 2014, it is the second most visited attraction in Italy after the Colosseum in Rome.
