Palaeontology

Identity of 'Tomb of Cerberus' skeleton remains a mystery

By T.K. Randall
July 30, 2024 ·  0 comments

An artist's depiction of Cerberus. Image Credit: William Blake Said to guard the entrance to the Underworld, Cerberus - a terrifying three-headed dog - is undoubtedly one of the most iconic creatures in all of Greek mythology.

Depictions of this terrifying beast have been found across the ancient world and last year it was found again - this time in a fresco found on the wall of a tomb unearthed in Giugliano, Italy.

The discovery was made when archaeologists spotted a curious wall that had been built using an ancient Roman construction technique known as opus incertum.

At the time, the 'Tomb of Cerberus' made headline news and prompted a great deal of interest in determining what was inside, who had built the tomb and who had been buried within it.Fast-forward to the present and now excavations within the tomb have unearthed the skeleton of an unknown individual who had been covered in a shroud and surrounded by grave goods.

According to an official statement, the deceased was in an excellent state of preservation and the shroud itself had also been preserved by "particular climatic conditions of the funerary chamber."

Mystery still surrounds the identity of the individual who was buried there, however, save for the likelihood that they were the "progenitor of the family for which the mausoleum was built."

Ancient pollen samples indicate that the body had been treated with creams containing absinthe, but we will need to wait for the results of DNA testing to find out who they might have been, who their ancestors were and whether they had suffered from any genetic conditions.

The 'Tomb of Cerberus'

Archaeologists have recently discovered an exceptionally well-preserved tomb in the municipality of Giugliano in Campania, Italy. pic.twitter.com/CxGAocHkRt

- Archeology _ Art (@archeology_art) November 14, 2023

Source: Live Science | Comments (0)

Tags: Cerberus, Italy, Tomb