The Vatican Necropoles

This is the first published summary of the entire complex of the great necropoles of Rome, which were situated on Vatican Hill. The work concerns one of the most extensive, richest, and least-known Roman archaeological phenomena and bears witness to the work of creating an underground museum that has been followed internationally as a model of conservation practice. From the submerged world of the necropoles emerges the funeral 'normality' of the Roman world, from poorer cremations in wooden urns, to sumptuous sarcophagi, to sepulchres adorned with frescoes and mosaics. One can also observe Egyptian cults influencing the practice of epicurean philosophy. In addition, we can catch a glimpse of the first traces of Christianity, which include the presence of St. Peter the Apostle's tomb.