Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia

The painted hypogeum of Crispia Salvia, with its extraordinary pictorial decoration, is a must-see for anyone visiting Lilybaeum. This hypogean burial chamber offers a fascinating window into the funerary life and traditions of the imperial and late Roman periods. Visitors can admire the vivid figurative scenes and symbols that decorate the walls, immersing themselves in a unique atmosphere that tells stories of ancient religiosity and memory. A visit to this monument not only enriches historical knowledge but also provides an exciting and evocative experience, allowing visitors to explore a place where art and spirituality meet in a timeless dialogue.

The hypogeum represents the most important monument of the Imperial and Late Roman necropolis of Lilybaeum, among which it stands out for the extraordinary richness of its pictorial decoration. It is a hypogeal burial chamber of trapezoidal shape, accessible via a steep stepped dromos. The walls of the chamber contain six depositions: four with rectangular chests within niches and two with arcosolium. The floor consists of a crumbly layer of mortar and has a central elevation where a small altar was placed for libations in honor of the deceased. The pictorial decoration includes a red perimeter band on the parapets of the burials and figurative scenes with funerary subjects on the walls, in vivid polychrome on a blue-white background: peacocks, heroes holding garlands, fruit baskets, flowers, a symposium scene (referring to the funeral banquet) and one with dancers and a double flute player (interpretable perhaps with the deceased). The main tomb on the back wall, intended for Crispia Salvia, is identified by a second-century AD Latin inscription in which Iulius Demetrius remembers his wife. The pictorial decoration of the hypogeum was carried out in several stages, presumably over two centuries (2nd-3rd centuries AD).
Tours are led by archaeologists from the ArcheOfficina cooperative.