Newly unveiled necropolis at Vatican

Among those buried in the necropolis was a set designer for Pompey's Theater, notorious for being near the spot where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death. Decorating the designer's tomb were some symbols of his trade — a compass and a T-square.

Also buried in the necropolis were an archivist for Emperor Nero's private property and mailmen.

Unearthed were black-and-white mosaic flooring and other decorations, including figures of a satyr and Dionysus, an ancient god of fertility and wine, along with a scene of a grape harvest.

A male member of ancient Rome's class of knights, who died as a teenager, was remembered in death with a sculptured figure whose hands are outstretched as if in prayer. The kind of figure, known as an "orante," was widely taken as an early symbol of Christians.

However, Liverani noted that the necropolis spans an era "when it was difficult to document Christianity" as the religion of the deceased because Christians were still persecuted in the empire. Thus mourners were unlikely to leave clear Christian symbols for fear of persecution.

Battistoni pointed out a layer of churned up stone running horizontally through the upper part of the necropolis, a sign of a 2nd century landslide which covered part of the hilly burial ground.

Asked whether the construction of the parking facility meant not all of the necropolis was uncovered, Spinola shrugged.

"This didn't start out as an excavation to study the area but as an emergency excavation to save what one could save," from the bulldozers, Spinola said.

Starting later this week, tourists, in groups of 25 or less, will be able to visit the necropolis, after writing to the Vatican Museums for permission. Initially, the tour will be available on Fridays and Saturdays, and on other days as well if it proves popular.

The necropolis ran along the edges of an ancient Roman road, Via Triumphalis, and is distinct from another necropolis that followed the lines of another ancient road, Via Cornelia, whose ruins can be seen under St. Peter's Basilica.

The Via Cornelia necropolis is considered to hold the tomb of St. Peter, the first pope.

Another part of the Via Triumphalis necropolis was dug up in the 1950s during work to build another Vatican garage. That section, previously generally open to scholars only, can also now be seen by tourists.

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