Early Christian Necropolis in the Valley of the Temples
The Paleo-Christian Necropolis in the Valley of the Temples is an area where there are traces of numerous burials dating back to the 3rd - 5th century AD.
The necropolis is believed to have been an extension of the Roman cemetery of Giambertoni. These are open-air burials, sub divo in which the bodies were wrapped in a linen cloth and placed inside the tombs, finally closed with a stone slab.
This area is located between the temples of Concordia and Heracles.
In a later period, the burial area also expanded by exploiting old water cisterns from the Greek age. Thus new forms of burial were added such as arcosolia, sarcophagi and underground catacombs. On the sides of the necropolis there is a corridor that leads to the catacombs, rich in burial chambers including, the best known, the Grotta Fragapane.
