Archaeologists have discovered a "perfectly preserved" pre-Roman tomb at an ancient site in Italy.
The tomb was revealed during excavations at the Etruscan necropolis of San Giuliano, Italy, located in the municipality of Barbarano Romano, around 20 miles northwest of Rome, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria announced in a Facebook post.
The necropolis—a type of large, ancient cemetery—features hundreds of Etruscan tombs carved into rock dating from around the 7th century B.C. to the 3rd century B.C.
The Etruscans were an ancient people who lived in parts of what is now Italy more than two thousand years ago. Their civilization reached its height in around the 6th century B.C., before being succeeded by the Romans, who adopted many features of their culture.
The recent discovery at the San Giuliano necropolis came during a project to restore some of the most significant tombs in the cemetery.
As part of this project, restoration works have been taking place around the so-called "Queen's Tomb" (Tomba della Regina). This "majestic" monumental tomb, dated to the 5th century B.C., measures roughly 45 feet wide and 33 feet high. It features stairs leading to the upper terrace and two doorways leading into twin funeral chambers.
Excavations carried out as part of the restoration works revealed another significant tomb in its entirety, next to the Tomba della Regina. The recently identified rock-cut tomb contains three rooms and is "perfectly preserved", the Superintendency said.
The latest discovery sheds new light on the varieties of tombs from the 5th-4th centuries present at the necropolis, according to researchers.
Last year, archaeologists opened an ancient Etruscan tomb in Italy that had remained untouched for 2,600 years, finding a wealth of rare artifacts.
The tomb lies within the archaeological site of Vulci—located between the municipalities of Montalto di Castro and Canino in Italy's central Lazio region—which preserves the ruins of an Etruscan city.
📌 BARBARANO ROMANO - NECROPOLI RUPESTRE DI SAN GIULIANO - INTERVENTI DI RESTAURO -TOMBA DELLA REGINA🌟A seguito dei finanziamenti ottenuti nell’ambito della programmazione triennale, sono iniziati...
Vulci was an important Etruscan settlement that flourished in the 6th to 4th centuries B.C.—largely thanks to trade, the extraction of minerals and the manufacture of bronze items, such as jugs.
Archaeologists discovered the previously unknown Etruscan tomb at the Osteria necropolis in Vulci in April 2023. It was opened in October.
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