Conjunto Arqueológico de Carmona - Carmona, Spain - Ancient Roman Civilization on Waymarking.com

In 1881 George Bonsor and Juan Fernández López purchased two plots of land containing old quarries and olive groves, situated a short distance west of Carmona, and commenced excavations. On the site were some curiously shaped mounds which they later found to be tumuli of prehistoric age. Around these mounds the Romans had for centuries hewn small chambers out of the rock to serve as familial tombs. These were from four to five metres square and two metres high. In the walls were niches for cinerary urns, each of which generally contained, beside the ashes of the dead, numerous domestic items including a coin, a mirror, and a signet ring.

The walls were mostly painted in fresco or distemper in Pompeian style, with representations of birds, dolphins, and wreaths of flowers. Near the entrance of each tomb was the crematorium, also hewn out of the rock, on the sides of all of which signs of fire are still visible.

Bonsor and Fernández discovered a Roman amphitheatre, also hewn out of the rock. During the course of the excavations, over 3000 objects of interest were found, among which were many inscriptions, fragments of statues, coins, and other valuable articles; all of them were placed in the Archaeological Museum of Carmona, founded and operated by the two men.

Much of the Roman necropolis has been preserved, and more than six hundred family tombs dating from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD have survived. Enclosed in subterranean chambers hewn from the living rock, the tombs are often frescoed and contain columbarium niches in which many of the limestone funerary urns remain intact; these are frequently inscribed in Latin with the name of the deceased. Some of the larger tombs have vestibules lined with stone benches for funeral banquets and several retain the carved family emblems. The partly excavated amphitheatre of Carmo, dedicated to public spectacle in its day, is adjacent to the necropolis.

The "Tomb of the Elephant" is a large and roughly square enclosure (10.6 by 12.5 metres) with three dining rooms and a kitchen cut deep into the living rock.

The Tomb of Servilia was the most monumental tomb of the Carmona necropolis. It was built to resemble a complete Roman villa and had a courtyard surrounded by porticos of colonnaded arches. These were lined with statues, many of which have been recovered by archaeologists and are now in the Carmona City Museum and the Museo Arqueológico of Seville. The Tomb of Servilia served not only as a burial place for an influential patrician family with its columbarium and large circular mausoleum, but also as a conspicuous display of their wealth.

Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C. Admission Fee: Free for European Citizens, otherwise 1€50 Opening days/times: De 1 de feb. a 31 de mar. y de 16 de sept. a 31 de dic.: Martes a sábado: de 10,00 a 18,30 horas. Domingos y festivos: de 10,00 a 17,00 horas. Lunes: cerrado. De 1 de abril a 15 de junio: Martes a sábado: de 10,00 a 20,30 horas. Domingos y festivos: de 10,00 a 17,00 horas. Lunes: cerrado. De 16 de junio a 15 de septiembre: Martes a domingo y festivos de 10,00 a 17,00 horas. Domingo y festivos: de 10,00 a 17,00 horas. Lunes: cerrado. Web Site: [Web Link] Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed

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