An extraordinary find: Ancient, underground Etruscan pyramids spotted in Italy

Archaeologists are scratching their heads about an underground pyramid-shaped structure they have been excavating beneath the historic medieval town of Orvieto in Italy. But it may not be a mystery forever. They hope to find answers as they continue to tease artifacts and architectural materials from the soil.

“We discovered it three summers ago and still have no idea what it is,” write Prof. David B. George of St. Anselm College and co-director Claudio Bizzarri of PAAO and colleagues about the site. “We do know what it is not.  It is not a quarry; its walls are too well dressed. It is not a well or cistern; its walls have no evidence of hydraulic treatments.”

Calling it the “cavitá” (‘hole’ or ‘hollow’ in Italian), or hypogeum, the archaeologists have thus far excavated about 15 meters down.

They marked their third year at the site in 2014. By then they had uncovered significant amounts of what they classify as Gray and Black bucchero, common ware, and Red and Black Figure pottery remain. They have dated deposits to the middle to the end of the 6th century BCE.

“We know that the site was sealed toward the end of the 5th century BCE,” George, et al. continue. “It appears to have been a single event. Of great significance is the number of Etruscan language inscriptions that we have recovered – over a hundred and fifty. We are also finding an interesting array of architectural/decorative terra cotta.”

Orvieto has long been known for its scenic medieval architecture. Located in southwestern Umbria, Italy, it is situated on the summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff, commanding a view of the surrounding countryside, and surrounded by defensive walls built of the same volcanic tuff. 

Beneath it and in the surrounding areas of the medieval town, however, lie ancient Etruscan and Roman remains, a focus of archaeological investigations and excavations by various teams for decades.

George’s excavations have centered on four different sites in the area, two (Coriglia and the Orvieto underground structures) of which will be further excavated in the near future.

The Coriglia excavations have resulted in a wealth of finds, including monumental structures such as Etruscan and Roman walls, Etruscan and imported Greek ceramic materials, three large basins dated to the Roman Imperial period, and apsidal structures with associated features related to the management of water for baths or other purposes.

“We have uncovered evidence for occupation of the site dating from the 10th century BCE all the way to the 16th century CE, as well as random realia from World War II,” write George, et al.

Overall, excavations under George and Bizzarri’s direction in the area have recovered monumental structures, sculptures, mosaics, coinage, inscriptions, ceramics, frescoes, and numerous other artifacts.

Looking forward, he anticipates new finds that will shed additional light and answer more questions about what the sites at Orvieto and Coriglia are all about.

“We are still trying to determine how the structure was ‘killed’ [filled in and then abandoned] – in a short period of time confined over the course of a few months or over a much longer period,” says George, referring to the cavitá.

“The tight dating of the Attic pottery seems to indicate a short period but the enormous quantity gives one pause. At Coriglia, our current hypothesis is that it is a sanctuary. We wish to test this by excavating in areas that should yield architectural and ceramic evidence that would be associated with such use.

We are still working on the phasing of our walls and getting a handle on three periods of expansion, at least one of which followed a mudslide.”

Even more important, however, maybe what their findings will ultimately say about the lives of people in the region so long ago. Write George, Bizzarri, and colleagues, “based on what is known from similar sites in the region, the members of our archaeological expedition may be confident that they will make discoveries that will reflect daily life in the Etruscan and Roman periods.”

The Mosaics of Piazza Armerina: The Villa Romana Del Casale

This wonderful ancient Roman site near the town of Piazza Armerina was entirely off my radar and is the kind of spot that you will easily overlook without noticing it. But if you may, you really need to visit Villa Romana del Casale, since it is one of the best-preserved Roman ruins I have ever seen.

Villa Romana, rightly a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is most renowned for its incredible mosaics. Now, you could be saying, “So what, I’ve seen ancient mosaics before, and usually they’re not that complete or impressive.” But I’m telling you, the mosaics here are going to blow away your expectations. I’m wary of over-hyping this attraction,  so hopefully, the rest of this article will show you why you need to visit.

History of Villa Romana del Casale

With any historical attraction like this, you have to acknowledge its history to truly appreciate it. Although today found right outside Piazza Armerina Villa Romana del Casale predates the small city by many centuries. Built-in the 4th century AD, the villa replaced a smaller rustic residence from the 3rd century. Historians believe that a member of the Roman provincial aristocracy, possibly a governor, owned the villa at this time.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the villa was fortified in the 5-6th century AD. In later centuries, it grew to become a large medieval settlement, until its people abandoned it in the 13th century. In around the 15th century, a small community known as Casale was founded here over the now-forgotten ruins. The ruins were then essentially lost to time until the 19th-20th century when people started to discover the treasure trove beneath.

More and more of the ancient villa was uncovered by excavations in the 40s, 50s and 60s. It was only a matter of time before UNESCO declared it a Worth Heritage Site in 1997. Since 2004, those responsible for the sight have undertaken major recovery work to preserve the site and its incredible mosaics.

The Villa Romana Mosaics

Although there are quite a few elements to Villa Romana, the mosaics are easily the most noteworthy. I will touch on the other parts of the ruins a little later, but if I’m honest, they’re greatly overshadowed by the mosaics. Seeing the ruined outline of an ancient Roman villa is a rare thing, but to see room after room of that villa covered in intact mosaics is another thing entirely.

And it’s not like it’s the same mosaic patterns over and over. There’s an incredible variety of designs here, from mosaics with scenes related to a particular theme to beautiful geometric patterns. While the geometric patterns are nice enough, I personally enjoyed the thematic ones as they had a story or idea behind them.

Understanding the Mosaics

Some mosaics are centred around a theme like the seasons, showing you how that concept was perceived at the time. Others relayed an aspect of life at the time, such as women competing in athletic sports. Then there are the ones recounting a local legend or story from mythology, like the tale of Orpheus and the labours of Hercules. Imagine having a story from Roman mythology sprawled across your floor.

Because you’ll see these mosaics in most of the villa’s rooms. They decorated the floors of important halls, but also bedrooms and even regular service rooms and side rooms. That seems a little extravagant for the servant’s quarters or your pantry, but apparently not for them.

By the way, you do learn about each room, its purpose and design throughout your tour of the villa. As you go there are information boards that identify the themes and characters of the mosaic. They also often point out subtle symbolic or figurative elements that show the level of thought and detail that went into the mosaic design. With that understanding, you appreciate what you’re seeing even more.

Peristyle Courtyard

While there are a few fragments of mosaics in the entrance to the villa, it’s the peristyle where you first get a real sense of the mosaics here. The peristyle is basically a central courtyard for the villa, with a portico surrounding a garden and fountain. What makes the peristyle special is that the walkways around the outside are covered in mosaics, most of which are nearly complete. That said, there’s also the ornately carved columns and even fragments of frescoes on the walls.

The mosaics here all follow a single design, that of an animal surrounded by a wreath. There’s quite some variety in the animals depicted, but also in the colours used. To see the mosaics, visitors walk on elevated walkways that really help give you a sense of the scale here. What’s more, the walkways bring you across to the rooms off the peristyle, many of which have their own unique mosaics inside.

Ambulatory of the Big Hunt

At this point in the visit, it’s hard to imagine anyone spot being a clear highlight. But then you come to the Ambulatory of the Big Hunt and it becomes clear that this is the highlight. You may have seen lots and lots of mosaics so far, but none quite like.

That’s because the Ambulatory of the Big Hunt is one continuous corridor mosaic that runs 60 metres from one side of the villa to the other. The scale of this mosaic is unbelievable, but the fact that it creates such a comprehensive scene is even more remarkable.

The ambulatory tells the story of the Roman Venatio, where wild animals were fought in amphitheatres for the purposes of entertainment, broken down into distinct episodes.

As you move from one side of the Ambulatory to the other, you follow the story of the Venatio. First, you see scenes of how wild animals were captured from across the Roman Empire. The size of the Roman Empire means that the scene includes quite an exotic range of creatures, from lions and rhinoceroses, but also mythical ones like griffins. Then, the scenes show the animals transported across the seas back to Rome. Once you understand the theme it’s amazing how clear the meaning is behind each episode.

Other Ruins of the Villa

Having talked about the mosaics to death, let’s take a quick look at the other things to see here. You’ll encounter other parts of the villa both before and after the mosaics, with the Roman baths and the Basilica the two most memorable. Admittedly, Roman baths with each of the different temperature rooms are fairly common at archaeological excavations. But I did like how you can see they heat each of the rooms with the cutaway floor inside.

Then there’s the Basilica, the largest and most important room of the villa, which hosted the court. Although it too has some mosaics to look at, what makes the Basilica special is its rare polychrome marble surfaces. The different marble used originates across the Mediterranean and its liberal use for the floors and walls highlights just how important this stately hall was.

ANCIENT EROTICA Pornographic Pompeii wall paintings reveal the raunchy services offered in ancient Roman brothels 2,000 years ago

The amorous activities of ancient Italians have been revealed by wall paintings in a historical Pompeii brothel. The ‘Lupanar of Pompeii.’ are decorated with Centuries-old wall paintings showing explicit sex scenes.

Before the Roman city was famously wiped out by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, the sex house was once a hangout for wealthy businessmen and politicians. Researchers claim the services offered by prostitutes may have been suggested by the erotic paintings showing group sex and other acts. These services and ventures still happen to this day all over the globe, however, with the invention of the internet it can be much easier to find a willing female on a website similar to https://www.escortdirectory.com/escorts-munich-199 to exchange sexual acts for money. It’s surprising to see this happened in some form 2,000 years back, and even more surprising that they kept paintings of their numerous sexual acts. It is a far cry from the world we live in today, where many of us know how to unblock XNXX and other adult sites, but it also shows that our enjoyment of adult entertainment hasn’t changed.

The Lupanar of Pompeii was the centre point for the doomed city’s thriving red-light district. The ancient Roman brothel was originally discovered in the nineteenth century. It was closed but was recently re-opened to the public in October 2006.

While the brothel is neither the most luxurious nor the most important historic building in what remains of Pompeii, it is the most frequently visited by tourists from across the world. Perhaps it inspires a night or two with a pocket pussy or other toys after a visit..

Prostitutes at the brothel were not exclusively women. Men, especially young former slaves, sold themselves there too – to both men and women. The erotic lives of Pompeii’s prostitutes were recently illustrated by Western University professor, Kelly Olson.

Professor Olson focuses her work on the role of women in Roman society, and the apparent open sexuality visible in the many frescos and sculptures.

The Classical Studies professor travelled to the ancient city last month as a featured expert on Canadian broadcaster CBC’s programme ‘The Nature of Things’.

Speaking of life in ancient Pompeii brothels, she said: ‘It’s not a very nice place to work.’ ‘It’s very small, dank and the rooms are rather dark and uncomfortable,’ she told CBC.

‘Married men could sleep with anyone as long as they kept their hands off other men’s wives,’ she said. ‘Married women were not supposed to have sex with anyone else.’

The building is located in Pompeii’s oldest district. The two side streets that line the brothel were once dotted with taverns and inns.

Upon entering the building, visitors are met by striking murals of erotic scenes painted on the walls and ceilings. In each of the paintings, couples engage in different sexual acts.

According to historians, the paintings weren’t merely for decoration – they were catalogues detailing the speciality of the prostitute in each room. Two thousand years ago, before the devastating volcanic eruption, prostitution was legal in the Roman city.

Slaves of both sexes, many imported from Greece and other countries under Roman rule, were the primary workforce. The Unesco World Heritage Site is of special importance because, unlike other Pompeii brothels at the time, the Lupanar of Pompeii was built exclusively for prostitution appointments, serving no alternative function.

Its walls remain scarred by inscriptions left by past customers and working girls. Researchers have managed to identify 120 carved phrases, including the names of customers and employees who died almost two thousand years ago.

Many of these inscriptions include similar phrases to those ones would find in a modern-day bathroom, including men boasting of their sexual prowess.

On the top floor of the building sit five rooms, each with a balcony from which the working girls would call to potential customers on the street.

Much like in ancient Rome, researchers speculate that Pompeii prostitutes were required to legally register for a licence, pay taxes, and follow separate rules to regular Pompeii women.

For example: When out on the street, Pompeii’s working girls wore strict attire – they wore a reddish-brown coat at all times, and dyed their hair blonde. Prostitutes were separated into different classes depending on where they worked and the customers they served.

Though the historic sex site has been “closed for business” for some time, that hasn’t stopped some raunchy holidaymakers attempting to re-christen the building. In 2014, three French holidaymakers were arrested for trespassing after breaking into the brothel ruins for a late-night sex romp.

A Frenchman and two Italian women, all aged 23 to 27, allegedly broke into the Suburban Baths to fulfil their fantasies inside a former brothel that is still decorated with centuries-old wall paintings depicting explicit sex scenes.

But authorities brought the group’s middle-of-the-night threesome to a premature end.