‘MONUMENTAL’

This Remarkable Skeleton Tells Us More About Cultural Life in Pompeii

The newly unearthed skeleton belongs to Marcus Venerius Secundio, who organized Greek performances in the city.

A well-preserved skeleton was found in a tomb in the city of Pompeii, known for being buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Archaeologists found a skull with white hair and part of an ear still attached, along with bones and small pieces of fabric in a cemetery in Porta Sarno. The tomb apparently belonged to Marcus Venerius Secundio, who organized performances in Greek, according to an inscription. The Greek performances show evidence of a “lively and open cultural climate which characterized ancient Pompeii,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. Zuchtriegel added that Secundio, a one-time enslaved person who was freed, must have made a good living due to the size of his “monumental” tomb. “He didn’t become super rich, but certainly he reached a considerable level of wealth,” said Zuchtriegel.