His name was Marcus Venerius Secundio and he was found in Pompeii. However, unlike other residents of the Roman city, he was not caught by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which completely buried this urbanization, turning it into a huge tomb that still surprises.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Secundio was discovered by a group of archaeologists, consisting of members of the archaeological park in Pompeii and the European University of Valencia, in the necropolis of Porta Sarno, near one of the main entrances to the city. and was buried.
Thus, this Roman citizen was already dead when the eruption occurred, and the ash may have helped preserve his body. Over the years, human remains have been unearthed – for example, a petrified slave and his master were found last year – but Secundio’s remains are considered the best preserved to date.
One can not only see his partially mummified skeleton inside the tomb, but also see white hair on his skull and even on a part of his ear.
According to the group of researchers, there is something atypical about this discovery, since the Romans were more likely to cremate their dead than to bury them – proof of this is that an urn with the name Novius was found in the same tomb. these are the ashes of Secundo’s wife.
Despite the fact that he lived for almost two millennia, records reflecting part of the life of Marcus Venerius Secundio have survived to this day. Initially with the status of a slave – with the function of overseeing the Temple of Venus in Pompeii – this man managed to free himself from slavery, rise up in society and become part of the Augustals, a group of priests responsible for the cult of the Emperor Augustus.
According to preliminary body studies, he died at about 60 years old, and the fact that he was buried in such conditions indicates his social and economic status.
A plaque with references to a Greek theater was also found in his grave, and the director of the archaeological park in Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtrigel, considers this to be proof that the city hosted theatrical performances in Greek that contributed to the “open” cultural and vibrant life “that characterized Pompeii. …
