An Underground Chamber Tomb Discovered at Surt
An underground chamber tomb was recently discovered in the suburban area of Macomades Selorum, the ancient
urban centre above which the modern Surt was built. The hypogeum, currently no longer visible or accessible, had
been looted at the time of its discovery. The typology of the grave, carved into the bedrock, recalls that of the Punic
tripartite hypogea, in which a staircase, extended by a stepped dromos, leads to the burial chamber. The underground room, rectangular in plan and with a vaulted roof was decorated with painted floral patterns. An acanthus branch framed a series of niches containing box-shaped cinerary urns. The remains of sixteen cremations and two inhumation burials were found inside the room within pits dug into the floor. The scarce remains of grave goods, including pottery and glass vessels, oil lamps and coins, and inscriptions on the urns allow us to date the hypogeum
approximately to a period between the age of Hadrian and the end of the 2nd
century AD.
Parole chiave / Keywords
Ipogeo, Sirte, decorazione pittorica, urne a cassetta, iscrizioni
Hypogeum, Surt, painted decoration, box-shaped urns, inscriptions
