One of the most interesting excavations of recent years conducted in Rome. Many scientific experts have contributed to the work with the aim of providing the most accurate description possible of the archeological site as is stands.
A preview of one of the most interesting excavations of recent years conducted in Rome. The subject is the 5th mile of the Via Flaminia, a section of Roman road that has miraculously survived under about 7m of soil and alluvial deposits left by the flooding of the River Tiber close by. The circumstances surrounding the rediscovery of the ancient road are particularly interesting since, running along either side of the road, lie the remains of a Roman monumental necropolis, huge blocks of marble which once supported columns, capitals, entablatures, decorated slabs, and inscriptions. They all collapsed in situ, forming chaotic monumental piles which can easily be reassembled in one’s mind into the kind of ancient scene much in vogue with artists in the 18th century. Another extraordinary discovery made when the road was brought to light is the extraordinary information obtained from part of a large inscription which once decorated the front of a large temple-fronted tomb, a monument dedicated to an important historical figure: Marcus Nonius Macrinus. He was a prestigious member of one of the most famous families in Brescia (Roman Brixia) in the 2nd century AD. He conducted part of his brilliant career under Emperor Antoninus Pius and ended it as the close friend and confidant of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, with whom he led the expedition against the Quadi and the Marcomanni. It is worth mentioning that, due to similarities between the true story of General Macrinus and the fictitious story about Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott’s film (Gladiator – 2000) , the world media have made the site famous by naming it the ‘Tomb of the Gladiator’.
Many scientific experts have contributed to the work with the aim of providing the most accurate description possible of the archeological site as is stands.