Lifesize Sculptures Found During Excavations of Pompeii Tomb

Archaeologists have uncovered two nearly lifesized sculptures of a man and a woman in a tomb near one of Pompeii’s main gates, offering fresh insight into elite life in the ancient Roman city before it was buried by volcanic ash in A.D. 79.

The sculptures were found inside a large funerary monument built into a wall of burial niches in the Porta Sarno necropolis. The tomb is part of a site under ongoing excavation by the Pompeii Archaeological Park in collaboration with the European University of Valencia.

Researchers believe the female figure may have been a high-ranking local woman, possibly a priestess of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility. The statue portrays her as veiled and cloaked, holding what appear to be laurel leaves and a scroll—symbols often linked to religious authority and ritual purity.

Priestess theory supported by religious symbols

Carved jewelry, including rings, bracelets, and a crescent-shaped pendant known as a lunula, adds further weight to the theory. The lunula, worn around the neck, was associated with female deities and spiritual roles in Roman culture.

“She could have been a priestess of Ceres,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. She’s holding plants and what looks like a papyrus scroll. She appears like a very important woman in the local elite.

In Roman religious ceremonies, laurel leaves were used to purify sacred spaces and disperse incense and aromatic smoke. Their presence in the statue may suggest the woman took part in such rituals, possibly as a leading religious figure.

The identity of the male figure remains uncertain

The male statue is depicted wearing a traditional toga draped over the left shoulder. Although the figures stand side by side, experts are uncertain whether they represent a married couple. Similar funerary displays sometimes featured family members or unrelated individuals.

“This could be her husband, but it could also be her son,” Zuchtriegel said. “Sometimes you get two men, or sometimes they come in threes.”

Archaeologists also found the preserved root of a tree that once grew above the tomb at the male figure’s foot. “It was quite a surprise to find it there a few centimeters beneath the ground,” said Zuchtriegel.

The statues are now being restored and will be displayed at an exhibition in Pompeii, scheduled to open on April 16.

The Porta Sarno site has already yielded significant finds. In 2021, the partly mummified remains of a man believed to be a former slave were uncovered nearby. Preserved hair and bones revealed that he had risen in status—an exceptional case in Roman society.