18 July 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.

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

An unexpected discovery in Pompeii: A Roman Tomb Reveals the Existence of an Unknown Imperial Position in Hispania

17 July 2024

17 July 2024

Work to create a functional air chamber to evacuate moisture from the underground spaces of the San Paolino building, the...

An Elamite clay tablet has been discovered in Burnt City

6 January 2022

6 January 2022

An Elamite clay tablet was discovered within the Burnt City by a team of Iranian, Italian, and Serbian archeologists. Called...

Philippines Cagayan Cave Art 3500 Years Old

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A depiction depicting a human-like figure on a cave wall in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, is Southeast Asia’s first directly...

Beyond Roman Exaggerations: Ancient Genomes Reveal an Iron Age Society Centered on Women in Britain

5 February 2025

5 February 2025

A team of researchers led by Dr. Lara Cassidy and Professor Daniel Bradley from Trinity College Dublin has uncovered evidence...

History of 8,500 years waits for a museum

19 June 2023

19 June 2023

The conservation process of the Yenikapı shipwrecks, which were discovered during the Marmaray project and considered the largest collection of...

Columns in Lagina Hecate Sanctuary Rise Again

19 February 2021

19 February 2021

Lagina Hecate Sanctuary is located in Yatağan district of Muğla. It is an important sacred area belonging to the Carians...

A Batavian Cavalry Mask was found on the Battlefield of Roman Comrades

22 July 2022

22 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered that a rusty corroded plate they found 4 years ago at an old battlefield in the city...

Rock Ship of Masuda, Japan’s mysterious monolith

17 April 2023

17 April 2023

Located in the Takaichi District of Nara Prefecture, Japan, the village of Asuka is famous for its mysterious stones. The...

1,400-year-old royal hall found in Suffolk, UK

5 October 2022

5 October 2022

Archaeologists, evidence of a 1,400-year-old royal Hall of the first Kings of East Anglia has been discovered in Rendlesham, Suffolk,...

Assos Excavations Reveal 2,200-Year-Old Mosaic and Monumental Tomb

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Assos, situated in Behramkale village in Türkiye’s Çanakkale province in the northwestern part...

Polish archaeologists have uncovered nine crocodile heads within ancient Egyptian tombs of nobles

25 December 2022

25 December 2022

Polish archaeologists excavating the Theban Necropolis in Egypt discovered nine crocodile heads hidden inside two tombs belonging to high-ranking nobles....

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Spain: A new decorated stela has been found in context, in the 3000-year-old funerary complex

15 October 2023

15 October 2023 2

Archaeologists have discovered a new decorated stela in the 3000-year-old burial complex of Las Capellanías in Cañaveral de León (Huelva,...

Exceptional Intact Etruscan Rock-Cut Tomb Discovered in Italy’s San Giuliano Necropolis

30 June 2025

30 June 2025

A remarkable discovery has emerged from the heart of Etruria: an intact Etruscan rock-cut tomb, sealed for over 2,700 years,...

In French Necropolis 21 Roman “curse tablets” discovered including one written in the extinct Celtic language of Gaulish

18 January 2025

18 January 2025

During the excavation of an eighteenth-century hospital in north-western France by researchers from the Orléans Archaeological Service, a 2,000-year-old necropolis...

Treasure Hunter Claims to Find First Council of Nicaea’s Location, Demands $50 Million for Discovery

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a startling revelation, Mustafa Uysal, a treasure hunter from Bursa, has claimed to have unearthed an underground city in...