Immaculately Preserved Funerary Statues Found in Pompeii

Archaeologists working at a city in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii have discovered two life-sized funerary statues depicting a man and a woman, Ancient Origins reported.

The statues were located in the necropolis of Porto Sarno, which was first discovered in 1998 when archaeologists came upon 50 cremation burial sites. Researchers believe the latest discoveries depict two real people of high social status who lived in Porto Sarno, rather than mythical gods. It’s a notable glimpse into the society’s power dynamics and its burial rituals.

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Archaeologists found the statues at the top of a huge mausoleum featuring and entry wall, at the top of which both statues had been installed. The statues are painstakingly detailed, with great time taken to evoke the people they depicted. Researchers say even the jewelry on their bodies and the folds of their clothing were represented by the statues.

“The two life-size figures are sculpted separately on two different tuff ashlars. However, the two reliefs are perfectly united, appearing to be a single sculpture,” lead author Llorenç Alapont and his fellow researchers wrote of their discoveries in a study published by the E-Journal of the Excavations of Pompeii. “Both the bodies and heads of the well-to-do young married couple are shown frontally in high relief, proudly wanting to emphasize their status through the language of imagery.”

The female statue has a symbol carved into its midsection which archaeologists posit is indicative of her religious involvement within the community. some believe she may have been a priestess who represented the god Ceres. At the time, becoming a priestess was a desirable and attainable goal for many women.

“It is clear that there were priestesses of Ceres in Pompeii, but this statue provides new evidence of the importance of the cult in the city,” the study explained. “In addition, the cult of Ceres has been linked to the popular classes. The ostentation of the female relief may suggest that the status of priestess was still reserved for women belonging to a relatively high social standing. These sculptures belong to a large class of funerary reliefs made between the first century BC and the first century AD,” the archaeological team explained. “Nevertheless, these types of sculptures are very rare in southern Italy. It is even more unusual to find reliefs of priestesses holding their religious objects.”

The statues have been moved within the archaeological site to the Palaestra Grand, where scientists are hard at work restoring them. They will be displayed during this month’s exhibition Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii, which opens April 16.