Hypogeum of the Garlands (Grottaferrata, Italy)

found: Work cat: L'Ipogeo delle ghirlande a Grottaferrata, 2020:summary (Discovered by accident in 2000 in the territory of Grottaferrata, near the via Latina southeast of Rome, the so-called Ipogeo delle ghirlande (69-96 A.D) lay undisturbed for two millennia; the tomb belonged to an elite Roman family whose names are inscribed on the two sarcophagi from the burial chamber: Carvilius Gemellus, a youth of 18, and his mother Aebutia Quarta, whose embalmed bodies were covered with garlands of real flowers. Aebutia, who survived her son, wore a precious gold ring. Inserted it its bezel, a concave rock crystal through which is visible a haunting portrait of Carvilius, cast in gold and detailed with a chisel and burin. In addition to inhumation, the influence of Eastern and Egyptian cults is evident in a number other details, including a date seed--symbol of eternity --placed under Aebutia's chin; and traces of a milk protein found in her wig, evidence that she venerated the Egyptian goddess Isis, in whose rituals milk was used to assure good life. The tomb's contents are dispersed: the bodies and clothing, in a Tivoli laboratory; the ring in Palestrina's Museo archeologico; and the sarcofaghi in Grottaferrata's Abbazia greco di San Nilo) (DLC)2021364909

found: Scientific reports,"Vibrational spectroscopy to study ancient Roman funerary practices at the 'Hypogeum of the Garlands' (Italy)," pub. online Mar. 8, 2022:(The "Hypogeum of the Garlands," discovered in 2000 in Grottaferrata (Rome, Italy), represents an extraordinary example of a burial chamber still sealed by the original stone. Two sarcophagi were found within the hypogeum, one containing the well-preserved body of Carvilius Gemellus, and the other, whose seal was partially broken, with the skeletal remains of Aebutia Quarta, his mother. The preservation of the human remains was a consequence of embalming the bodies, a rare ritual in Roman times when corpses were more often cremated)

found: Archaeology news network, via Facebook, viewed April 14, 2022:"A 2000-year-old 'hologram' enclosed in a gold jewel" (The Flavio-Trajanic tomb, known as the "Hypogeum of Garlands," discovered in Grottaferrata, near Rome ... )