Isola Sacra Necropolis

The Isola Sacra Necropolis, also known as the Necropolis of Portus in the Isola Sacra, is a major Roman Imperial burial ground located on the artificial Isola Sacra between the ancient cities of Portus and Ostia Antica, in the modern commune of Fiumicino within the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It holds particular significance as the first large-scale pagan cemetery of Roman Imperial times to be systematically excavated. The necropolis was discovered in 1925 during land reclamation works on the island, which had been created during the reign of Emperor Trajan through the extension of the Fossa Traiana canal at the mouth of the Tiber River. Today it forms part of the Parco archeologico di Ostia antica and is managed through the official website of the Ostia Antica archaeological park.

The necropolis contains approximately 200 tombs spanning from the 1st to the 4th centuries CE. The majority of burials were built by the middle-class bourgeoisie of the area, though some tombs were constructed for the very poor. Many tombs are of the cell-type or family-type variety, which has made them particularly valuable for understanding the social stratification of Portus. The tombs display considerable architectural variety, ranging from simple semicylindrical plastered chests painted red to monumental house-shaped structures of later date, often built atop earlier tombs that had experienced sand accumulation and rising ground levels. The cemetery as a whole has been compared to Etruscan cemeteries and Christian catacombs in its extent and organization.

The Isola Sacra Necropolis provides significant insight into Roman Imperial Art through paintings, mosaics, and sculptures from three imperial reigns: Hadrian, the Antonines, and the Severan Dynasty. Original inscriptions on marble slabs offer information about the occupations of those buried, revealing a population of generally humble professionals including shopkeepers, traders, workmen, shipowners, and porters. Despite their modest backgrounds, families built elaborate burial structures. Notable sculptural finds include exquisite sarcophagi such as one depicting a child with revelling putti, and another of the Archigallus, or head priest, of the island. Simpler terra cotta reliefs painted on tombs illustrate the professions of the deceased. Non-sepulchral sculptures found in the tombs may have been family heirlooms hidden during barbarian attacks. The painted walls of the tombs are particularly important for studying bourgeois taste in Roman wall painting.

The necropolis occupies the manmade island of Isola Sacra, situated between Portus and Ostia Antica just south of Rome. The site is positioned along the Via Severiana, the road that connected these two important harbor cities. The island itself was created artificially through hydraulic engineering during Trajan's reign, specifically through the extension of the Fossa Traiana near the Tiber's mouth. The burial grounds were laid out along this important thoroughfare, with tombs constructed in succession over several centuries, reflecting changing architectural preferences and ground conditions including sand deposition and rising soil levels.

The Isola Sacra Necropolis is located in the territory of Fiumicino, within the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It forms part of the Parco archeologico di Ostia antica and is administered as a unit of Italy's cultural heritage system. Visitors can access information through the official website at https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/. The site lies between the archaeological areas of Portus and Ostia Antica, making it accessible in conjunction with visits to these major ancient harbor complexes.