ROME, ITALY—The New York Times reports that an intact chamber tomb containing the remains of three men and one woman was discovered dug into the volcanic rock in a suburb of Rome during the construction of an aqueduct. The men had lived to be over the age of 35, and all were thought to have belonged to a privileged social class, based on their grave goods. A coin found next to one of the tomb’s occupants helped to date it to between 335 and 312 B.C. On one side, the coin bears an image of Minerva, while the obverse shows a horse head and the word “Romano.” Two bronze strigils, or instruments used to scrape sweat from the skin, and black-glazed bowls and plates decorated with images of a rabbit and a lamb or a goat were also recovered. Paleobotanist Alessandra Celant of the University of Rome La Sapienza collected samples of ancient pollens and plants that will help her to reconstruct the ancient landscape and funerary rituals. To read about the excavation of a Roman temple, go to “A Brief Glimpse into Early Rome.”
