Perfectly Preserved Roman Tombs Discovered Near City Of Capua Where Spartacus Trained As Gladiator

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Archaeologists excavating near the city of Capua, Italy have unearthed two ancient tombs. One of the discovered sarcophagi still remains sealed. The find was made at the cemetery near the central Piazza San Tommaso d'Aquino.

The city of Capua is of great historical significance. By the ¨third century BC, Capua was the second most important city in Italy after Rome itself.

Capua provided Rome with thirty thousand infantry and four thousand cavalries in times of war.  After legendary Spartacus had been sold into slavery he trained at the gladiatorial school in Capua, north of Naples.

Italian archaeologists report one of the unearthed Roman tombs contains skeleton remains belonging to a deceased person whose gender and age are still unknown. Scientists hope they can discover some funerary objects near the tomb. The other tomb has not been opened yet, but researchers think it will also hold the body of a dead person.

What has been found so far has already been removed and transported to the Museum of the City of Aquino that already contains extraordinary finds from the prehistoric, protohistoric, pre-Roman, Roman, and Medieval eras.

Skeleton belonging to a person who was discovered inside one of the Roman tombs. Credit: Anagnia

There is much to discover in the ancient city of Aquinum that was founded by Volsci, an Italic Osco-Umbrian tribe who successfully defended it against Samnite invasions.

During the Triumvirate and reign of the first Roman emperor Caesar Augustus (also known as Octavian), the city of Aquinum was a Roman colony

It did not take long before Aquinum grew to become the most important nucleus between Rome and Capua.

The amazing unknown “Colosseum” of Capua. Credit: leisure-italy.com

Archaeologists have excavated at the site since 2009 and unearthed many artifacts that add pieces to our knowledge of ancient Roman history.

See also: More Archaeology News

"Aquino is a treasure trove of infinite archaeological treasures and offers continuous discoveries that allow us to deepen and enrich the history of our territory with new pieces,” said Mayor Libero Mazzaroppi told Anagnia.

“Each new discovery demonstrates, if needed, what is the cultural richness of our territory that has historical and archaeological uniqueness to be enhanced and promoted more and more. We literally walk on our history. But without stepping on it, ” he added.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer