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24-683: An important necropolis from the Merovingian era (6th-7th century) has been excavated near Erstein in 1999–2000. Erstein was known in Alsace in the Middle Age for its canonesses monastery , founded in the 9th century and abandoned in 1422. The buildings were destroyed in the 16th and 19th centuries. This Bas-Rhin geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Necropolis A necropolis ( pl. : necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli )

48-564: A large series of contemporary life tools. The most recent tombs date from the 3rd century BC. Some of them are marked by external cippi , which are cylindrical for men, and in the shape of a small house for women. A large number of finds excavated at Cerveteri are in the National Etruscan Museum , Rome , with others in the Vatican Museums and many other museums around the world. Others, mainly pottery, are in

72-715: A necropolis containing burials from the Predynastic through the Late Period . A pair of small necropoleis of Theban-style rock-cut tombs started to take shape in the wadis east of Akhetaten (modern Amarna ) during the Amarna Period of the New Kingdom; while it appears that the tombs were not ultimately used for burials due to the collapse of the Amarna regime about 20 years after the foundation of Akhetaten,

96-606: A reconstruction of the house of the dead, including a corridor ( dromos ), a central hall, and several rooms. Modern knowledge of Etruscan daily life is largely dependent on the numerous decorative details and finds from such tombs. One of the most famous tombs is the Tomb of the Reliefs , identified from an inscription as belonging to the Matuna family and provided with an exceptional series of frescoes, bas-reliefs and sculptures portraying

120-630: Is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital , in the Italian region of Lazio . Known by the ancient Romans as Caere , and previously by the Etruscans as Caisra or Cisra , and as Agylla (or Άγυλλα ) by the Greeks , its modern name derives from Caere Vetus used in the 13th century to distinguish it from Caere Novum (the current town). It is the site of

144-497: Is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek νεκρόπολις nekropolis ( lit.   ' city of the dead ' ). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distance from a city, as opposed to tombs within cities, which were common in various places and periods of history. They are different from grave fields , which did not have structures or markers above

168-586: Is the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area. The name Banditaccia comes from the leasing ( bando ) of areas of land to the Cerveteri population by the local landowners. The tombs date from the 9th century BC ( Villanovan culture ) to the later Etruscan period (third century BC). The earliest tombs are in the shape of a pit, in which the ashes of the dead were housed; also, simple potholes are present. The most important tombs include: From

192-418: Is thought to be Elamite in origin. The depiction is part of a larger image, most of which was removed at the command of Bahram II . Four tombs belonging to Achaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face at a considerable height above the ground. The tombs are known locally as the " Persian crosses ", after the shape of the facades of the tombs. Later, Sassanian kings added a series of rock reliefs below

216-576: The Villa Giulia . Little is known of the ancient city, although six temples are known from various sources. Two of them have been excavated, one of Hera, the other in the north of the city. Parts of the city walls are still visible today and excavations opened up a theatre. Three necropolis were found. The contents of the tombs were excavated, often chaotically and illegally; over the last few centuries, they have yielded rich and exquisite objects, including ceramics and jewellery which today grace many of

240-521: The Archaeological Museum at Cerveteri itself. Around the city of Cerveteri is an Italian DOC wine region that produces red and white blended wines. The red wines are blends of 60% Sangiovese and Montepulciano , 25% Cesanese and up to 30% of Canaiolo , Carignan and Barbera . The grapes are limited to a harvest yield of 15 tonnes/ha and the final wine must have a minimum alcohol level of 11%. The white wines are composed of

264-579: The ancient Etruscan city which was one of the most important Etruscan cities with an area more than 15 times larger than today's town. The best known structures on the site form the Banditaccia Necropolis . Caere was one of the city-states of the Etruscan League and at its height, around 600 BC, its population was perhaps around 25,000 – 40,000 people. The ancient city was situated about 7 km (4.3 mi) from

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288-474: The ancient Greek world however. Sparta was notable for continuing the practice of burial within the city. Naqsh-e Rostam is an ancient necropolis located about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Persepolis , in Fars Province, Iran . The oldest relief at Naqsh-i Rustam dates to c.  1000 BC . Though it is severely damaged, it depicts a faint image of a man with unusual headgear and

312-479: The city. In Mycenae , for example, the royal tombs were located in a precinct within the city walls. The way the large stones fit together so perfectly in the round shape of the underground tomb is one of the most amazing building achievements of the Mycenaean Age. This changed during the ancient Greek period when necropoleis usually lined the roads outside a city. There existed some degree of variation within

336-751: The early Dynastic period) and tombs and graveyards for lesser personages. Almost as well-known as Giza is the Theban Necropolis , on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes (modern Luxor ). This necropolis is known for the rock-cut tombs of the Valley of the Kings , the Valley of the Queens , and the various tombs of nobles and others from the New Kingdom onward. The Theban Necropolis is home to some of

360-551: The few Ancient Egyptian tombs that remained essentially intact until discovery by modern archaeologists, including the Tomb of Tutankhamun and the Tomb of Kha and Merit . Other ancient Egyptian necropoleis of note are the necropolis of Saqqara , home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser and other royal burials; the necropolis of Dahshur , site of the Red Pyramid of Sneferu , the oldest "true" pyramid; and Abydos , site of

384-474: The ground. While the word is most commonly used for ancient sites, the name was revived in the early 19th century and applied to planned city cemeteries, such as the Glasgow Necropolis . Ancient Egypt is noted for multiple necropoleis. Ancient Egyptian funerary practices and beliefs about the afterlife led to the construction of several extensive necropoleis to secure and provision the dead in

408-711: The hereafter. These necropoleis are therefore major archaeological sites for Egyptology . Probably the best-known ancient Egyptian necropolis is the Giza Necropolis . Made famous by the Great Pyramid of Giza , which was included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World , the necropolis includes three major pyramid tombs of Old Kingdom kings and several smaller pyramids related to the royal burials, as well as mastabas (a typical royal tomb of

432-467: The later Etruscan period are two types of tombs: tumulus-type tombs and the so-called "dice", the latter being simple square tombs built in long rows along roads within the necropolis. The visitable area contains two such roads, the Via dei Monti Ceriti and the Via dei Monti della Tolfa (6th century BC). The tumuli are circular structures built in tuff , and the interiors, carved from the living rock , house

456-543: The sea, a location which made it a wealthy trading town derived originally from the iron-ore mines in the Tolfa Hills . It had three sea ports including Pyrgi , connected to Caere by a road about 13 km (8.1 mi) long and 10 m (33 ft) wide, and Punicum. Pyrgi was also known for its sanctuary of monumental temples from 510 BC, built by the king of Caere and dedicated to the goddesses Leucothea and Ilithyia , of which several sculptures are exhibited at

480-477: The tomb decorations provide much information about that era of ancient Egyptian history. The Etruscans took the concept of a "city of the dead" quite literally. The typical tomb at the Banditaccia necropolis at Cerveteri consists of a tumulus which covers one or more rock-cut subterranean tombs. These tombs had multiple chambers and were elaborately decorated like contemporary houses. The arrangement of

504-555: The tombs. The site of Bin Tepe served as a necropolis for Sardis , the capital of the Lydian Empire . It consists of over 100 tumuli including the monumental Tumulus of Alyattes which was commented on by ancient writers including Herodotus and still marks the landscape today. Though Lydian elites also used other burial styles, tumuli are so numerous throughout Lydia that they are used to track settlement patterns. The style

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528-490: The tumuli in a grid of streets gave it an appearance similar to the cities of the living. The art historian Nigel Spivey considers the name cemetery inadequate and argues that only the term necropolis can do justice to these sophisticated burial sites. Etruscan necropoli were usually located on hills or slopes of hills. In the Mycenean Greek period predating ancient Greece , burials could be performed inside

552-707: The world's museums. One famous and important work of art is the Sarcophagus of the Spouses . The most famous attraction of Cerveteri is the Etruscan Necropoli della Banditaccia, which has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site together with the necropolis in Tarquinia . It covers an area of 400 hectares (990 acres), of which 10 hectares (25 acres) can be visited, encompassing a total of about 1,000 tombs often housed in characteristic mounds. It

576-740: Was adopted around 600 BC, likely inspired by similar Phrygian tombs at Gordion . It continued after the Persian conquest of Lydia, into the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Necropoleis have been built in modern times. The world's largest remaining operating necropolis from the Victorian era , for example, is Rookwood Necropolis , in New South Wales , Australia. A modern era example is Colma, California , United States. Cerveteri Cerveteri ( Italian: [tʃerˈvɛːteri] )

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