Tombs

The Pianabella was Ostia's graveyard, a true "city of the dead", with tombs flanking roads. The necropolis reached the Canale dello Stagno in the south. To the west it was bordered by villas along the shore, to the east by the swamp. Only a few parts have been excavated systematically, but many sarcophagi, marble urns and hundreds of funerary inscriptions have emerged over the centuries. One of the sarcophagi, shown on the menu-page, is so exceptional that is has been called the "Pianabella-sarcophagus". Two well-preserved clusters of tombs form part of this gigantic necropolis: the "Porta Laurentina necropolis" to the south of the Porta Laurentina (this area is fenced off and closed to the public) and the "Porta Romana necropolis" at the entrance to the excavations.

The north-east part of the Pianabella and the area to the east of Ostia. Photo: Google Earth.

Near the entrance of the excavations is this mosaic of Oedipus and the Sphinx.
It was found in a tomb on the Pianabella. Photo: Klaus Heese.

The necropolis continued to the east of the city. This area is today mostly built up, but tombs were found in many small-scale emergency excavations, for example near the railway station and around the borgo. The remains of the deceased provided important information about their health and the kind of work they had done. The frequency of caries for example tells something about the diet. Joint diseases, fractures and infections point to intense physical activity, such as the carrying of heavy loads. People with a higher social status were buried close to the road leading from Ostia to Rome, the Via Ostiensis, coinciding with the modern Viale dei Romagnoli.

Inhumations in Parco dei Ravennati, to the east of the borgo. Photo: Pannuzi 2019, fig. 5.

In late antiquity many Christian burials are documented, but an exclusively Christian zone has not been identified. In the necropolis are three important Christian churches, related to martyrs. These churches are described on separate pages. The Basilica di Pianabella is located not very far from the Porta Laurentina, to the south of two modern roads. The Church of Sant'Aurea is situated in the mediaeval borgo. At the east end of the area is the small Church of Sant'Ercolano. Many excavators of Ostia were buried here.