2,300-year-old Messapian tomb unearthed by sewer works in southern Italy
Workers installing sewer lines in Manduria, Puglia, exposed a 4th-century B.C. burial complex with painted plaster, ceramic grave goods and evidence of ancient looting
Sewer workers in the southern Italian town of Manduria have uncovered a 2,300-year-old tomb belonging to the Messapian civilization, officials said, revealing a small funerary complex with painted plaster, ceramic grave goods and signs of ancient disturbance.
The discovery, made during sewer installation and announced Sept. 8 by the Brindisi and Lecce Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape (Soprintendenza archeologia belle arti e paesaggio Brindisi e Lecce), dates to the 4th century B.C., the Hellenistic period. The superintendency said the burial is divided into two spaces and that one chamber contained numerous objects in primary deposition, including vases, oil lamps, unguent jars and plates.
Officials described the entrance as showing traces of painted plaster colored red with a horizontal raised white band running along the walls. The burial chamber entrance also featured a two-panel door plastered red. Several plaster fragments were recovered, and the chamber itself preserves traces of painted plaster, the superintendency said.
On the southern side of the chamber, archaeologists identified four rectangular recesses at the base, which they said were likely intended as supports for a funerary bed. A second tomb in the same area was found still sealed but devoid of grave goods, apparently previously looted. Inside the fill of that second burial, excavators recovered a Republican-era Roman denarius, which the superintendency cited as evidence of the site’s continued use or presence during the Roman period.
The superintendency said the site also "showed signs of ancient disturbance," noting that ancient looters had perforated walls to access adjacent burials. Officials said several plaster fragments were recovered during the excavation.
Archaeologists working on the find plan to develop a 3D digital model of the tomb to enable "future accessibility through digital technologies," the statement said. The superintendency added that the excavation will add elements to the understanding of funerary practices at the Messapian center of Manduria during the Hellenistic age.
The Messapians were an indigenous pre-Roman population of the heel of Italy, known from archaeological remains in Puglia and neighboring areas. Finds of painted plaster, funerary beds and ceramic assemblages contribute to reconstructions of local burial rites and the extent of cultural contacts in southern Italy during the 4th century B.C.
The find in Manduria comes amid a string of recent tomb discoveries across Italy. This summer, archaeologists on the island of Sardinia uncovered three subterranean burial chambers often referred to as "fairy houses," and researchers also reported an unlooted Etruscan tomb about 30 miles north of Rome. Italian heritage authorities frequently stress the importance of careful excavation following chance discoveries during construction or utility works, both to preserve context and to recover perishable materials.
Local officials have not released a timetable for further excavation or conservation work. The superintendency’s initial communication was posted on the institution’s Facebook page and provided the detail now being followed up by field teams and conservators.
Archaeologists said the materials recovered and the architectural features of the tomb will undergo study and cataloguing, and that the digital model will be part of longer-term plans to document and potentially present the site to researchers and the public through noninvasive means.