In the municipality of San Vito al Torre (province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, in northeastern Italy), operations to recover an important ancient artifact, a Roman funerary monument, were carried out on Tuesday, February 6th, in the bed of the river of the same name. These operations were conducted under the scientific direction of archaeologist Dr. Serena Di Tonto of the ABAP FVG Superintendence, in the presence of the Carabinieri, members of the local police, and the extraordinary commissioner of the municipality of San Vito al Torre.
The day-long operations were made possible thanks to the logistical support of the regional Civil Protection and assistance provided by Natison Scavi company of San Giovanni al Natisone, which provided a heavy vehicle to lift and transport the artifact.
The recovery was particularly complex due to the size and weight of the funerary altar, which weighed 6.26 tons. After initial excavations to free the artifact from gravel, determine its exact dimensions and state of preservation, and clarify if any other findings or archaeological stratigraphy were still preserved, the area in front of it was excavated to create enough space to straighten it up and place the canvas slings. It was then wrapped in fabric to prepare it for transportation.
The limestone monument, nearly completely submerged by the gravel of the Torre riverbed, had been fortuitously spotted by Mr. Ervino Silvestri, who promptly alerted the relevant authorities.
Thanks to his report, it was possible to activate significant synergy between institutions, enabling the safe discovery of the work and its transportation to a temporary shelter, where it can be cleaned and restored in preparation for a possible future exhibition. Arrangements are being made with the municipality of San Vito to identify a suitable location within the municipality for its preservation.
The funerary altar is almost intact, except for the upper right corner, presumably broken in antiquity, and is now under scientific study.
It consists of a front part with an inscription, referring to the gens Apinia, placed within a molded frame, and two sides, one of which is intact, with a decoration of winged Eros respectively holding an inverted torch and a poppy flower, symbols of eternal sleep. The back face is only roughly hewn and partially ruined and chipped, likely due to long immersion in water.
A preliminary reading of the inscription, to be analyzed in more detail in the coming days, and the type of decoration allow for a hypothesis of dating to the early imperial period.
In addition to the monument, a stone funerary urn without a lid, two limestone bases, some bricks and tile fragments, and a male face in limestone were also found in the area.
Sources
Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio del Friuli Venezia Giulia
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