Necropolis of Portus

The Necropolis of Porto, located on the Isola Sacra between the Tiber and the Fossa Traiana, is an important archaeological site that offers a unique glimpse into life and death in ancient Rome. Developed between the late 1st and 4th centuries AD, the necropolis includes over 200 funerary buildings arranged along the Via Flavia, which connected Porto (Portus) with Ostia.

This vast funerary complex is remarkable for its exceptional preservation and for the valuable information it provides about the society of the time. The tombs, primarily belonging to a middle class of merchants, freedmen, and small entrepreneurs, feature inscriptions and reliefs that illustrate the professions and daily lives of the deceased.

The facades of the tombs in the Necropolis of Porto are often decorated with epigraphs in Latin or Greek, which provide precious details about the deceased. These inscriptions reveal not only the names of the owners but also the dimensions of the tombs, testamentary dispositions, and rules for the use of the sepulcher. Such information is fundamental for understanding the social composition of Portus, characterized mainly by a middle class of merchants, freed slaves, and small entrepreneurs.

Alongside the inscriptions, there are often relief representations on bricks illustrating the professions of the deceased. These scenes of daily life show, for example, a midwife at work, a surgeon during an operation, a blacksmith in his workshop, or a grain merchant. These depictions, examples of popular and spontaneous art, offer a vivid and authentic snapshot of the daily lives of Portus inhabitants, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the reality of the time.

The Necropolis of Porto housed not only the tombs of the middle classes but also those of a less affluent social stratum. The latter buried their deceased in the remaining spaces between the larger tombs, using more modest burial methods. The types of burial for the less wealthy included:

• Box tombs: simple masonry structures
• “Cappuccina” tombs: characterized by a roof of tiles arranged in a double-sloped fashion
• Burials in wooden coffins: an economical and practical solution
• Burials in amphorae: using repurposed ceramic containers
• Inhumations in bare earth: the simplest form of burial

• From 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday through Sunday, with last entry at 4:00 PM.
• The site is closed on Mondays, January 1st, and December 25th.
• The site can be reached by following Via dell’Aeroporto di Fiumicino to Via Cima Cristallo, then Via Pal Piccolo, until reaching Via Monte Spinoncia 52.