PompeiiinPictures

NG1 Pompeii. Porta Nola Tombs. Tomb of Lucius Betutius Niger, son of Quintus.

Bibliography

 

De Caro, 1979, Cronache Pompeiana V, pp. 86-93, pp. 179-187.

Dobbins, J. J. and Foss, P. W., 2008. The World of Pompeii. Oxford: Routledge.

Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2014. Pompeii and Herculaneum: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge, H91, p.272.

Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. G66-9, p.156.

Pompei Oltre la Vita: Nuove testimonianze dalle necropoli. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei, 1998, pp. 39-42.

Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, pp. 313-6.

 

Burials of Praetorians.

 

The praetorian guard was the emperor’s personal bodyguard.

The names of various praetorians from different cohorts appear in graffiti at Pompeii, which suggests that praetorians were present in the town on a number of different occasions.

In addition, one of the wax tablets of Caecilius Iucundus documents a transaction with a member of the guard stationed at Nuceria.

Four (probably) of the guard were buried together in a line just outside the Nolan Gate, possibly on public land.

This may have been an honour reserved for those who died in public service.

Their monuments are stone markers with rounded tops, a type of funerary monument similar to ones found elsewhere in Italy, but they are the only ones of their type so far discovered at Pompeii.

Perhaps the physical form of their monuments was intended to distinguish these burials at a glance as being those of outsiders.

By contrast, the burial of a praetorian from Pompeii is marked by a herm, the funerary monument typical of the region.

It is also located away from the other praetorians, outside the Stabian Gate.

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. G66–68, G69, H59, H79, p. 156.

 

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. Tomb of praetorian Lucius Betutius Niger, son of Quintus.
The inscription was on a marble slab with a rounded top, fixed in the ground, where a terracotta lidded jar containing the remains of the cremation was buried.
Next to this were the remains of the funeral pyre, including fragments of decorative bone, perhaps from a funerary couch.

L(ucius) BETVTIVS
Q(uinti) F(ilius) O(u)FEN(tina)
NIGER
MIL(es) C(o)HO(rtis) II PR(aetoriae)
VIX(it) ANN(is) XX
MIL(itavit) ANN(is) II

Cooley translates this as

Lucius Betutius Niger, son of Quintus, of the Oufentinan tribe, soldier in the 2nd praetorian cohort. 
Lived for 20 years, performed military service for 2 years.

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii : A Sourcebook. London : Routledge. G66, p. 156.
See De Caro, 1979, Cronache Pompeiana V, pp. 86-93
See Stefani G., in SAP, 1998. Pompei Oltre la Vita: Nuove testimonianze dalle necropoli, p. 40.
See De Caro, 1979, Cronache Pompeiana V, pp. 86-93
See Stefani G., in SAP, 1998. Pompei Oltre la Vita: Nuove testimonianze dalle necropoli, p. 40.

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. Tomb of praetorian Lucius Betutius Niger, son of Quintus.

The inscription was on a marble slab with a rounded top, fixed in the ground, where a terracotta lidded jar containing the remains of the cremation was buried.

Next to this were the remains of the funeral pyre, including fragments of decorative bone, perhaps from a funerary couch.

 

L(ucius) BETVTIVS

Q(uinti) F(ilius) O(u)FEN(tina)

NIGER

MIL(es) C(o)HO(rtis) II PR(aetoriae)

VIX(it) ANN(is) XX

MIL(itavit) ANN(is) II

 

Cooley translates this as

 

Lucius Betutius Niger, son of Quintus, of the Oufentinan tribe, soldier in the 2nd praetorian cohort.

Lived for 20 years, performed military service for 2 years.

 

In 2016 the analysis of the cremations within the necropolis of Porta Nola focused upon the burials of two Praetorian guards which had been discovered by the excavations in the 1970s but which were not subject to osteological analysis. The first of these was the burial of Lucius Betutius, as revealed by the funerary stela, which recorded his rank as a praetorian soldier of the II cohort for which he served for two years, corresponding to an age of 22. The anthropological analysis of the cremated bones confirmed that he was a robust man, aged about 20 years. The morphology of the pubic symphysis and the femoral head verified the data provided by the inscription.
See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314.

 

The tomb had previously been excavated and two cremation urns had been recorded.

In 2017, exploring the area immediately behind the tomb, a further cremation urn was discovered together with a number of funerary items including a lamp depicting a satyr.

See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314 and fig.1(a).

 

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. August 2017. Immediately behind the tomb, a further cremation urn was discovered.
See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314 and fig.1(a).
Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. August 2017. Immediately behind the tomb, a further cremation urn was discovered.

See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314 and fig.1(a).

Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

 

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. July 2017. Excavation area. Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. July 2017. Excavation area. Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

 

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. August 2017. Immediately behind the tomb, a further cremation urn was discovered together with a number of funerary items including a lamp depicting a satyr.
See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314 and fig.1(a).
Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

Tomb NG1 Pompeii. August 2017. Immediately behind the tomb, a further cremation urn was discovered together with a number of funerary items including a lamp depicting a satyr.

See Pompeii Porta Nola Necropolis Project in Papers of the British School at Rome: Vol. LXXXVI, 2018, p. 314 and fig.1(a).

Photo courtesy Stephen Kay, British School at Rome.

 

 

 

 

The low resolution pictures on this site are copyright © of Jackie and Bob Dunn and MAY NOT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE USED FOR GAIN OR REWARD COMMERCIALLY. On concession of the Ministero della Cultura - Parco Archeologico di Pompei. It is declared that no reproduction or duplication can be considered legitimate without the written authorization of the Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

Le immagini fotografiche a bassa risoluzione pubblicate su questo web site sono copyright © di Jackie e Bob Dunn E NON POSSONO ESSERE UTILIZZATE, IN ALCUNA CIRCOSTANZA, PER GUADAGNO O RICOMPENSA COMMERCIALMENTE. Su concessione del Ministero della Cultura - Parco Archeologico di Pompei. Si comunica che nessun riproduzione o duplicazione può considerarsi legittimo senza l'autorizzazione scritta del Parco Archeologico di Pompei.

Ultimo aggiornamento - Last updated: 21-Sep-2021 21:26