The X Tombs

I recently watched a fascinating documentary on a PBS station regarding the discovery and investigation of the X Tombs in Rome.  Discovered in 2003, these tombs are a series of chambers found in the X quadrant of the Catacombs of St Marcellinus and St Peter along Via Casilina in Rome, Italy.  They contain thousands of male and female corpses all compacted together and neatly ordered.  Archaeologists have yet to determine their identity or even their cultural origins, and the excavation has been ongoing since 2005.

Carbon dating indicates the individuals died in waves beginning in the late first century AD and ending in the early third century, but only a handful of clues remain as to their identities and causes of death.  Archaeologists heading up the research, most notably mass grave specialists Dominique Castex and Philippe Blanchard and head archaeologist Raffaella Giulliana, indicate there aren't any signs of physical trauma, ruling out the possibility they were Christian martyrs or soldiers killed in battle.  That leaves disease as a likely culprit.  DNA investigations are ongoing in an attempt to find genetic evidence that may remain locked in the skeletal remains.

What I found most interesting, however, wasn't the mystery of their identities but the manner of their burial.  Many individuals bear similar funerary practices, indicating a certain percentage of the corpses belong to the same cultural group.  The corpses are positioned with their legs outstretched, ankles touching, and their arms flat against their sides.  Their shoulders are tightly compressed which indicates the bodies were bound tightly, and then the individual bundles were covered in plaster.  Traces of powdered amber and gold thread were found inside.  One corpse still wears a black ring around his or her finger.  Gold earrings were also discovered.  All of this attests to the individuals being wealthy.

The bodies were then stacked inside the tombs.  Most were laid out in neat rows and layered one on top of the other, but a few were turned slightly on a precise axis.  According to the documentary, the tombs contained more bodies than would have fit were the bodies still covered in flesh and soft tissue, another indication they were interred in waves.  A group of people were placed inside and allowed to decompose over time before another layer of bodies was added.

In the end, the documentary postulated that the tombs may contain members of the Equities Singulares Augusti, the personal cavalry of the Roman emperor, and their wives.  They would have been comprised of members who hadn't been born in Rome and may have come from Northern Africa.  No one can say for certain, though, and the investigation still continues.  I look forward to following the details.

If you would like to read further, this was a fascinating article that goes into more detail.