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Document Details :

Title: Sepolcro Corsini
Subtitle: Stanza sotterranea nell'orto dei frari di S. Gregorio al monte Celio
Author(s): KAMMERER-GROTHAUS, Helke
Journal: BABESCH
Volume: 98    Date: 2023   
Pages: 147-169
DOI: 10.2143/BAB.98.0.3291706

Abstract :
The interior decor of Roman tombs has always been the object of archeological research. For centuries it had lamentably been allowed to go to rack and ruin these complexes. A prominent example is the so called Sepolcro Corsini. It was found in 1639 at the south western slope of Monte Celio, in the vegetable garden of the Camaldolense monks, next to the church S. Gregorio. The tomb we are dealing with here, most probably was a tempietto monument of early Severan times, positioned close to the Servian city wall outside of the Pomerium, the sacred city boundary. At the same level intra muros residential buildings were to be found as well as shops enlivening shopping streets. The monument can only be deduced from partly coloured drawings in codices of the 17th and 18th centuries. The hypothetical reconstruction is an experiment, justified by their great artistic variety. Sketches and drawings are of high value as they document excavation results for the first time and constitute an early attempt at documentation, a task which was taken on in the 19th century by photography.

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