Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2022 - 46

a public slave who served as a
custodian of the Temple of Venus,
Pompeii's patron goddess. Unlike
private slaves who worked in their
owners' houses, public slaves were
the property of the city. In the same
way that private slaves took the
names of their owners, Secundio's
nomen, Venerius-the middle
of the standard three names of
Roman citizens-is derived from
the full name of Pompeii after it
was conquered by Rome: Colonia
Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum.
His work, which likely involved
accepting offerings and managing
temple operations, undoubtedly
brought him into contact with wealthy
and influential Roman citizens.
The same Marcus Venerius
The inscribed marble epitaph on the front of Marcus' tomb records his accomplishments as
a slave and freedman, which included funding four days of theatrical performances.
another adult. Buried in a corner was a glass urn-a rare find
at Pompeii-set in a metal box that also contained a bronze
nail, a symbolic marker that the burial was a sacred space
and that the urn should not be disturbed. This urn held the
remains of a woman identified as Novia Amabilis on an
inscribed marble headstone called a columella marking
her burial. Because she did not share Marcus'
middle name, Venerius, Alapont explains, she
could not have been his mother or daughter. " We
are completely certain she must be his wife, " he
says. The urn also contained the bones of three
children between three and eight years old, all of
whom researchers believe were the offspring of Marcus
and Novia. A lidded amphora placed next to the
columella served as a conduit for libation offerings
that mourners could pour into the urn.
The researchers will continue to examine
Marcus' remains, as well as the cloth fragments
and preserved liquid recovered from the glass urn.
Using genetic testing and isotope analysis, they hope
to learn more about Marcus' diet and place of birth, as
well as his relationship to the other individuals with whom
he was interred. It's also possible, Alapont says, that cremation
urns belonging to other relatives are buried outside the
tomb's walls, as is the case at several other tombs that have
been excavated in Pompeii.
I
46
t is not just the bones and ashes of Marcus Venerius
Secundio and his family that reveal their place in
Pompeian society. The newly discovered epitaph has
allowed researchers to fill in details of Marcus' life and
career. Although his origins are unknown, it's clear from the
inscription that Secundio-as he was likely first known-was
Secundio also appears in another
text found at Pompeii-he is named
as a witness to the sale of public
land on a wax tablet recording the business dealings of the
banker Lucius Caecilius Iucundus. At some point prior to
witnessing the payment, Secundio had been manumitted and
become a libertus, or freedman. With his new status as a Roman
citizen, he assumed the name Marcus Venerius Secundio.
" He probably received tips and offerings from the
people who visited the temple, and he might have
bought his freedom that way, " Alapont says. " Or
he might have been so popular that he argued for
his freedom in front of a magistrate on account of
p
b
h
h
A bronze coin dating to a.d. 65 recovered inside
the tomb commemorates games honoring the tenth
anniversary of the emperor Nero's reign (r. a.d. 54-68).
A
th
a
his service to the city. "
As a freedman, Marcus became a member of
h
Pompeii's Augustales, a selective group of priests
devoted to the cult of the emperor. During Marcus'
later life, that emperor was Nero (r. a.d. 54-68).
d
la
Although ancient sources portray Nero as a mad
and profligate ruler, the number of Augustales known
A
to have been members during his reign is a testament to his
initial popularity among the Roman people. Attaining a position
in the Augustales was a goal of all ambitious freedmen,
who accounted for most of the membership and were barred
from holding other civic offices. " The Augustales were powerful
and held a lot of influence, " Alapont says. " Only wealthy
men could be members because you had to pay dues, either
by arranging games for the people or making a public offering
in the emperor's name. " In Pompeii, the paths to economic
and social advancement were open and flexible, even to the
formerly enslaved. " Freedmen presented themselves much like
the elites, emphasizing their public offices and services to the
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