Sepolcro di Largo Talamo, Ancient Roman sepulcher in Tiburtino, Rome, Italy.
The Sepolcro di Largo Talamo is a Roman funerary monument rebuilt at Largo Eduardo Talamo, near the corner of Via dello Scalo San Lorenzo and Via dei Sardi. Its travertine base measures 5.90 metres per side and stands 2.70 metres high; above it rose a cylindrical drum, of which a cornice fragment with acanthus scrolls survives. The base carries the carved measurements IN FR(ONTE) P(EDES) XXXII and IN AGR(O) P(EDES) XX, and a band of lion-paw motifs runs beneath the inscriptions.
The tomb belonged to the gens Pomponia and was in use from the first half of the 1st century AD to the 3rd century AD. It was found by chance in 1935 during excavations on viale dello Scalo di San Lorenzo, at the junction with via dei Sardi, along the route of the ancient via Collatina. The burial chamber was completely buried, and the drum had been demolished when the street level changed in the 3rd century AD. On 13 July 1943 the monument was hit during the bombing of San Lorenzo; after the war it was reassembled about 150 metres from its original site, at largo Eduardo Talamo.
A small altar found in the tomb bears a dedication to the Pomponia family, likely its owners. The interior walls were divided by pilasters with white plaster and red details, and the recesses carried large diamond patterns on a red ground. Niches in the recesses held two sarcophagi and a skeleton.
The monument stands at Largo Eduardo Talamo in the Tiburtino neighborhood and can be reached by local tram lines that serve the surrounding area. The site is openly accessible during daylight hours in a residential part of Rome.
On the travertine base, two inscriptions give the tomb's own footprint: IN FR(ONTE) P(EDES) XXXII and IN AGR(O) P(EDES) XX, 32 feet wide by 20 deep. The width included an entrance forecourt with a stair beside the door. Below the inscribed slabs runs a band of carved bundles ending in lion paws.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,583 contributors worldwide.