Cemeteries of Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome had no Necropolis, instead, Burials took place on any road outside of the city limits, and these became Cemeteries. The oldest road was the Via Appia,
The Via Appia held the most tombs including those of the ancient Roman families. However, all the other roads leading away from Rome also had Tombs and Catacombs.

Burial within the Pomerium or city limits of Rome was forbidden by the laws written in the Twelve Tables. This applied to all Roman towns and cities.
Therefore, Burials took place outside the city limits, usually along the main roads radiating from the city. In Rome this was the Via Appia.

During the period of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, Cremation remained the most popular form of funerary practice. The Ashes were placed in urns and deposited in large tombs full of niches known as Columbaria.

A Columbarium was a large Roman Tomb full of niches designed to hold hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of Funerary Urns holding the cremated ashes of the deceased. Light came in through tiny upper windows.
The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas
- In the first century CE, Pomponius Hylas bought the Columbarium just for himself and his wife. It is located on the Via Appia, Rome, near to the Porta Latina.

A sarcophagus was a stone coffin built to hold a corpse, which often remained above ground in Roman cemeteries. They were usually made of stone with elaborately carved decorations and reliefs, depending on the status of the deceased.
They became very popular under the Roman Empire between c.100-300 CE until the Christian custom of underground burial made them fall out of fashion.
Sarcophagus of Balbinus (c.238 CE)
- This is the only surviving example of a Roman Imperial sarcophagus.
- It is located in the Museo di Pretastato, Park of the Caffarella, near the Via Appia, Rome.

The Catacombs are underground tunnels filled with the Tombs of the Dead, which are located along the Via Appia, Via Nomentana, Via Tiburtina, Via Labicana and the Via Ostiense:
The catacombs were begun in the second century CE. Their use declined after 380 CE, and eventually they were forgotten. They were rediscovered in 1578 and have been excavated ever since. They were tunneled through the volcanic tuff rock under Rome.
Rome has 40 known Catacombs. Many are several kilometres long and have up to four levels. They lie between 22-65 ft (7-19m) below ground.
The Bodies were laid in Stone Sarcophagi, dressed in clothes and wrapped in linen, then placed in niches in the Galleries. The niche was then sealed up by a slab on which was inscribed the person’s name, age and date of death.
Notable Catacombs are the Catacombs of San Sebastian, the Catacombs of San Domitilla and the Catacombs of San Callixtus.

The Mausoleum of Augustus was built in 28 BCE by Augustus on the Campus Martius, Rome, Italy.
The Ashes of seven Emperors were held here in Gold Urns placed in niches.
Today, it is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, Rome, Italy. The Mausoleum is no longer open to Visitors.

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, also known as the Castel San Angelo, was built between 130-139 CE.
It faces the Aelian bridge over the Tiber in Rome.
The ashes of six Roman Emperors were held here in golden Urns including the ashes of Julius Caesar. The Mausoleum was desecrated and the ashes scattered during the First Sack of Rome in 410 CE.

The Pyramid of Cestius is a Pyramid shaped Tomb in Rome, built between 18-12 BCE for a Roman magistrate called Gaius Cestius. Its steep slopes indicates a Nubian style, not Egyptian.
Originally, it was built outside the city walls of Rome, which did not permit burials within its walls. As Rome expanded it became part of the Aurelian Walls built in 270-275 CE.
Another Pyramid, the ‘Pyramid of Romulus’ (now lost) existed close to the Castel San Angelo.

Tombs along the Via Appia