The Roman Necropolis of Carmona, Spain: 10 years of research

Abstract

The first tomb of a Roman Necropolis in the area of Carmona (Seville, Spain) was accidentally discovered in 1830. Few more tombs were exhumed between 1868 and 1869. These tombs were plundered until the beginning of the archaeological excavations in 1882. This necropolis, located in the town of Carmona, represents one of the most significant Roman burial sites in Southern Spain, and was in use during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Initially, the necropolis was used as quarry from which stone blocks were extracted and used for building construction. The quarry was then abandoned and reused as necropolis due to the workability of the rock. The Necropolis has suffered numerous and extensive interventions since its discovery. The first one was the adaptation of the necropolis for visits in 1885, including the construction of a trail, design of gardens around the tombs and plantation of trees. Nowadays, the gardens are considered one of the most deteriorating factors affecting the conservation of the tombs due to irrigation and consequent percolation of water inside the tombs, in addition to the damage caused by roots. Taking into account the cultural, artistic and religious importance of the Necropolis of Carmona, its preservation and conservation are a major issue, both from cultural and economic points of view. This importance emphasizes the need to define accurate and sustainable intervention protocols based on a deep understanding of the environmental and/or anthropogenic-induced deterioration processes. The design of effective preservation and/or conservation strategies should be based on exhaustive in situ surveys and laboratory investigations. Here we review 10 years of research in the Necropolis and we focus on the Circular mausoleum, as a case study, including an assessment of its conservation state, and the identification of the main deteriorating agents. In addition, an intervention proposal for the preservation of the Circular Mausoleum was presented.