14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Latest Surprises Revealed by Investigations Inside the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano

The latest surprise revealed by investigations at the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano: The remains of a corpse covered with a shroud, with ointment and perfume containers nearby.

This discovery was announced today by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples.

In preparation for excavations in the nearby necropolis and the Ministry of Culture-funded restoration of the frescoes, investigations into the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano are ongoing. The sarcophagus had been sealed for over 2,000 years, but now a gap has been opened, providing access to its interior, thanks to a targeted intervention and the use of a micro camera.

The excavation activities, coordinated by the archaeologist Dr. Simona Formola, have led to the exceptional discovery of a burial in excellent condition, with a supine body covered by a shroud, probably mineralized due to the unique climatic conditions of the burial chamber, surrounded by grave goods, among which several unguentaria and strigils stand out. The particular care given to the buried individual and the chronology of the objects found suggests that it could be the progenitor of the family for whom the mausoleum was built.

The entrance to the tomb of the Cerbero. Photo: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples
The entrance to the tomb of the Cerbero. Photo: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples

“The Tomb of Cerberus continues to provide valuable information about the Phlegraean area near Liternum, expanding knowledge of the past and offering opportunities for multidisciplinary research,” declared Superintendent Mariano Nuzzo.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



A multidisciplinary team of researchers has taken samples from previous inhumations on the funeral beds within the mausoleum and examined them. A genus of perennial herb known as goosefoot, chenopodium, and wormwood were found through pollen analysis and microscope observation. To help stop decomposition, these were probably rubbed onto the bodies in the form of creams. DNA analysis is being done on samples taken from the human remains.

“In recent months, laboratory analyses conducted on samples taken from the burials and depositional beds have yielded a significant amount of data on the treatment of the bodies and the funerary rituals performed, significantly enriching our understanding,” stated a team guided by the Superintendency.

Detail of the interior of the sarcophagus being excavated, with the shroud and some funerary treeds. Photo: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples
Detail of the interior of the sarcophagus being excavated, with the shroud and some funerary treeds. Photo: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples

More intriguing data from the hypogeum and surrounding necropolis, along with ongoing laboratory sampling and analysis activities, will surely be uncovered in the upcoming months. These data will be helpful in reconstructing the historical and social landscape of an ancient community that still has a lot to tell.

Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples

Cover Photo: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the metropolitan area of Naples

Related Articles

Ancient Ruins Hidden Under Thessaloniki Metro Revealed

15 January 2023

15 January 2023

The finds unearthed during the construction of local metro facilities in Thessaloniki, a Greek port city on the Thermaic Gulf...

Urfa Castle Yields Mysterious Rock-Cut Tomb Possibly Tied to Abgar Dynasty—Early Christian Allies of Jesus

5 July 2025

5 July 2025

A recent archaeological breakthrough in southeastern Turkey has stirred excitement in the academic world. Deep within the inner citadel of...

Academics Uncover Ancient Roman Physicians Galen’s Pharmacy Legacy in İzmir

27 February 2024

27 February 2024

As a part of research on medicinal plants in Bergama, İzmir’s historic district where Galen (129 AD -200 AD) once...

Ancient Murals of Two-faced Figures Found in Peru

21 March 2023

21 March 2023

Archaeologists are reporting a number of fascinating discoveries as work on the excavations at Pañamarca progresses that are helping to...

More than 100 bronze mirrors found at Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound in Japan

3 October 2023

3 October 2023

Archaeologists in Japan have unearthed more than 100 ancient bronze mirrors from the Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound in Sakurai, Nara...

3500-year-old menhir discovered in Mahbubabad, India

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Six feet in height stone, also called a menhir, was found on the roadside of Ellarigudem, a hamlet of Beechrajupally...

Evidence of Necromancy during Roman era in the Te’omim Cave, Jerusalem Hills: Oil Lamps, Spearheads, and Skulls

14 July 2023

14 July 2023

Te’omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills may once have served as a local oracle where people communed with the dead...

The Walking Giants of Easter Island: How Physics Solved an 800-Year-Old Mystery

10 October 2025

10 October 2025

For centuries, the massive stone statues of Easter Island—known as the moai—have stood as one of archaeology’s greatest enigmas. How...

3 mummified skeletons were found in Iznik, western Turkey

8 October 2021

8 October 2021

Archaeologists discovered mummified skeletons dating from the 2nd century A.D. within two sarcophagi at the Hisardere Necropolis in Bursa’s Iznik...

Archaeologists Reconstruct the Face of a 7th-Century Anglo-Saxon Woman Buried with “Trumpington Cross”

21 June 2023

21 June 2023

In a remarkable archaeological discovery near Cambridge, England, the face of a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon woman buried with a rare gold...

A farmer discovered artifacts of the Unetice culture in his field

19 August 2021

19 August 2021

A farmer in Sulęcin county in Poland’s Lubusz province discovered a rare treasure while trying to clear stones from his...

Early Iron Age cremation burial containing bronze jewelry and rare textile fragments found in Austria

9 July 2023

9 July 2023

Archeologists from the Vienna Natural History Museum (NHM), a cremation burial containing bronze jewelry and rare surviving textile fragments have...

Mustatil Structures in Arabia May Be 7,000-Year-Old Stone Remnants of Cattle Cult

1 May 2021

1 May 2021

Archaeologists examining the mustatil stone remains in the northwest of Arabia think that these stone remains may have been used...

600 Years Old Sword and Equipment Found in Olsztyn

22 April 2021

22 April 2021

Aleksander Miedwiediew, a history buff, and detectorist discovered a bare sword, a sheath, and a knight’s belt with two knives...

“Unprecedented” Phoenician necropolis found in southern Spain

28 April 2022

28 April 2022

A 4th or 5th-century B.C Phoenician necropolis has been found at Osuna in Southern Spain. A well-preserved underground limestone vault...