The Tomb of Priscilla is a monumental tomb erected in the first century in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

(Via Appia Antica), situated opposite the Church of Domine Quo Vadis.

Name

The Tomb belonged to Priscilla, wife of Titus Flavius Abascanto, a freedman of the emperor

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

Architecture

On a quadrangular base, covered with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

blocks (

opus quadratum ''Opus quadratum'' ("squared work") is an ancient Roman construction technique, in which squared blocks of stone of the same height were set in parallel courses, most often without the use of mortar. The Latin author Vitruvius describes the tec ...

), there were in the past two superimposed cylindrical towers, built in

opus mixtum Example of ''opus mixtum'' in the substruction of France.html"_;"title="Brest_Castle,_France">Brest_Castle,_France_ ''Opus_mixtum''_(Latin:_"mixed_work"),_or_''opus_vagecum''_and_''opus_compositum'',_was_an_Roman_architecture.html" "title="ran ...

and

opus reticulatum ''Opus reticulatum'' (also known as reticulate work) is a facing used for concrete walls in Roman architecture from about the first century BCE to the early first century CE. Facings are a type of polygonal masonry used to apply a smooth finish to ...

, the upper one with 13 niches designed to house statues of the dead. The funerary cell covered by a barrel vault is entered via a corridor, currently accessible from the basement of one of the houses that are adjacent to the monument. The cell was coated within by blocks of travertine and included three niches designed to house sarcophagi.

History

The tomb was used in the 11th century and later as a fortress. It belonged to the

counts of Tusculum The counts of Tusculum, also known as the Theophylacti, were a family of secular noblemen from Latium that maintained a powerful position in Rome between the 10th and 12th centuries. Several popes and an antipope during the 11th century came fr ...

, and later the

Caetani The House of Caetani, or Gaetani, is the name of an Italian noble family, originally from the city of Gaeta, connected by some to the lineage of the lords of the Duchy of Gaeta, as well as to the patrician Gaetani of the Republic of Pisa. It play ...

. In modern times there were two farmhouses, one of which was the "Tavern of Acquataccio". The burial chamber was used as a store for maturing cheeses.

External links

Scheda sul sepolcro di Priscilla
sul sito della Sovraintendenza ai beni culturali del comune di Roma *Lauretta Colonnelli
"Il sepolcro svelato"
articolo sul Corriere della Sera del 20 dicembre 2003 * {{Monuments of Rome Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Ancient Roman tombs and cemeteries in Rome