In Wavre, a bit to the north of the Lac de Neuchâtel, a mausoleum was discovered in 1898 at the locality Les Biolles. It was excavated in 1929 and 1941. The monument was not far away from a villa at the locality Les Perveuils.
Combined plan and section of the mausoleum. Bridel 1976, fig. 2.
The mausoleum on a photo from 1941. Photo: Perret 1941, fig. 25.A foundation was found measuring 3.60 x 3.50 m., within a square enclosure measuring 13 x 13 m. To the west of the foundation an inhumation was found, to the east a cremation or the remains of a funerary pyre. Fragments were found of smooth and fluted columns, composite and Corinthian capitals, architectural decoration, and two or three statues, all of limestone. The proposed reconstruction is that of an aedicula on a high base, with statues of a couple and their son. The monument has been assigned to the early second century.
Reconstruction of the mausoleum. Photo: Laténium, Hauterive.
Reconstruction of the upper part of the mausoleum. Neukom 2002, Taf. 22.The villa seems to have been investigated only superficially. An aqueduct and a hypocaust were reported. In 1944 fragments were found of an inscribed glass "Zirkusbecher", a vessel decorated with a relief depicting chariot races (EDCS-15300308).
Literature
Méautis 1926; Perret 1941; Méautis 1945; Bandi 1945, 55; Bridel 1976; Neukom 2002, cat. nrs. 18-19; Bridel 2003.
[7-Mar-2024]
