Santa Rosa Necropoli

In 2009 the excavation project designed to link two areas of the necropolis discovered in the Vatican, named Autoparco and Santa Rosa begun. These two existing areas were uncovered in the excavations of 1956-1958 and 2003.

Dating from about 50BC – 200AD, the approximately 40 large tombs and 200 graves of the site reveal a fascinating wealth of information about these social classes of which historians still know little. Tomb inscriptions offer interesting ‘slices of life’ but also poignant indicators of Roman pagans’ relations to deceased loved ones. Amongst the extremely well-preserved tombs, one can see the grave of a slave of Nero, a set designer from the Pompey Theatre and a small boy whose 4 year-old face is forever preserved in an adorning marble sculpture.

The new area of the archaeological excavation was analyzed and studied using techniques that highlighted the stratigraphic levels within the ground, working down from the modern deposits to those from the Roman period. At the end of the excavation, all of the evidence was documented and compiled which contributed to a new tour for visitors. The archaeological area, which spreads trough a thousand meters, was finally opened to the public in February of 2014 thanks to the generosity of the Canadian Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. The site has recently been expanded with new display cases containing the remains found in the most recent excavation of that site and those from other areas of the necropolis, which are not open to the public. The display is intended to be instructive, with illustrated panels explaining the process of stratigraphic excavation, particularly the difference in ground level between modern and Roman times, and clarifying the different aspects of Roman funerary practices and rituals.

Eleven interactive screens and two large information screens have also been placed along the route. The multimedia equipment allows the most recent generation of visitors to come into direct contact with the evidence recovered at the site, thanks to three-dimensional reconstructions of individual burial structures as well as sweeping views of the countryside, designed to give the viewer a thorough overview of the different stages of the burial site. The use of short films has also proved particularly useful in providing a historical and topographical framework for the necropolis. The films reveal insights into the methods of excavation and restoration, raising issues related to the conservation of the site.

In 2012, the Vatican Museums signed an agreement with the École Française of Rome, the Laboratory of Anthropology at the University of Bordeaux, and the Archaeological Survey of Rome. This  agreement allowed for a major excavation project of the necropolis and an in-depth anthropological study of the skeletal remains discovered there. The dedicated, four-person anthropological research team lead by Professor Henri Duday and Dr. Paola Catalan accompanied and shadowed the archaeologists in the early stages of the excavation, documenting and interpreting the data they uncovered. This team is presently working on the area of the Tomb of Alcimus and is also examining the graves discovered in the 2003 excavation. These ongoing investigations unveiled the most interesting results of the Roman funeral process and burial rites that have already been released.