The Street of Tombs, Pompei

Entering the city of Pompei one can't help noticing the row of tombs set along the road. Called the Street of Tombs, this cemetery stretches from the Herculaneum Gate along the road which leads towards Herculaneum, a nearby town, which, together with Pompeii, was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The graves were placed here on purpose. Since it was forbidden to bury bodies inside the walls of Pompeii, this street outside the city, which, back in the day, was a busy road filled with travelers and lined with numerous shops, was chosen as a suitable burial ground.

It contains over 30 tombs, reflecting the wealth of those buried. The family of the deceased would sometimes have a meal at the tomb and pour a libation of wine, or blood, down a tube to the grave urn. This way the Romans believed the dead could share a meal with them.

The greater portion of the Street of Tombs was cleared in Spring 1813 under the “liberal patronage” of Napoleon’s sister, Caroline Murat, who was Queen of Naples during the French occupation of 1808-1815.

Passing through the picturesque plane balanced by the horizontally spread, light-filled ruins, cradled between the pastoral foreground and sleeping mountain at the back, this Street stands as a reminder that the entire city is a monument to the ancient Romans who perished here 2,000 years ago.