Experiencing gloomy Dis: Tombs, tunnels and the phenomenology of the Roman Underworld in the Phlegraean Fields

Recent work in landscape archaeology has emphasized the importance of considering the experience of moving through landscapes and examining the place of burials within wider landscape contexts. This work recognizes that burial placement was often intended to create and curate experiences and meaning. While burials near roads and waterways have been discussed at length, burials near tunnels, which are an important feature of the road network of Roman central Italy, have not yet featured in discussions of the experience of Roman landscapes or the visibility of graves. This article explores these twin themes in the Phlegraean Fields west of Naples, where burials appear next to the entrances of two monumental tunnels. This placement appears to make an experiential play on the perceptions of the descent into the Underworld as described in Classical literature.

Automated summary

Recent research in landscape archaeology highlights the significance of considering the movement experience within landscapes and the placement of burials within larger landscape contexts. Burials near roads and waterways have been extensively discussed, but burials near tunnels, a key feature of the Roman road network in central Italy, have not yet been included in discussions on the experience of Roman landscapes or the visibility of graves. This study investigates burials located next to the entrances of two monumental tunnels in the Phlegraean Fields near Naples, which seem to play with experiential perceptions of descending into the Underworld as described in Classical literature.