City of the Dead

Antonius: Second in Command's opening scene takes place along the Appian Way in Rome's necropolis--city of the dead.

The Romans were especially superstitious and wary of death. They had some rather unusual beliefs, including that if someone happened to be present at a relative's or friend's death, it was customary to make mouth to mouth contact with the dying individual at the moment of dying. This allowed the spirit of the dead to depart through the dying person's mouth and be caught up by the person who would live on. Death was considered to be an impure blemish and there were likely pagan rituals held to purify families who had either been in contact with a corpse or had kept a dead loved one in their home for viewing, as was often the case. 

The Appia Antica, the old Appian Way, is yet another favorite place of mine to visit. By walking along it, one will see countless tombs of Romans. In fact, it's also along this route that one passes catacombs from the early Christian era. They are all intriguing places to visit, although I'll admit to finding catacombs a touch creepy! 

Roman tombs come in many shapes and sizes, but one of the most popular forms was the ancient tumulus. These are drum-shaped places of burial that date all the way back to Etruscan times. In fact, it was probably from the Etruscans that the Romans adapted this shape for their own burials. Perhaps the most famous tumulus along the Appia Antica is that of Caecilia Metella. Caecilia was a noblewoman who lived in the late Republic, during the same period as my story-line takes place. Apparently, she married a very minor character mentioned in my book, Marcus Crassus the Younger. This tumulus is a fascinating place to visit, and is also an excellent example of columbaria--dovecote-like niches for cremation urns. Cremation was the typical method of interment during the late Republican era.

​

---

Romans often visited deceased loved ones, as we do today. Therefore, funerary steles were also practical and less expensive for the revering of departed spirits and offering of libations. These monuments were much smaller than family tombs and would contain only one or several urns. Sometimes, there were holes in the top of the stele's altar, where libations could be poured.

​Inscriptions on funerary steles are especially poignant. In the Capitoline Museum, one funerary stele honors a baby. The inscription describes the exact age, literally down to months and DAYS of the infant's brief life-span. This child was obviously much-loved, . Each time I visit and read it, I feel the parents' grief two-thousand years later.

---

The Capitoline Museum is a wonderful place to view funerary steles and their inscriptions. Infants, slaves, freedmen, midwifes, legionary soldiers, and gladiators are all represented. Each inscription has been translated, and it is a place where it's easy to connect with the past. 

There is a natural reason that Marcus visits the necropolis at the beginning of Second in Command. If you already read Son of Rome, then you won't want to miss it. 

​Read ON!