Le necropoli romane

Roman necropolises, partly overlapping with pre-Roman burial grounds, extended north and south of the urban center, along suburban streets and separated by two branches of the Adige River. Dated between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD, they reached their highest concentration between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. The prevailing rite was cremation, replaced by inhumation in the later stages for religious reasons. Most Atestine tombs were enclosed in enclosures that housed family units, the
extent of which was indicated by boundary stones giving their measurements in Roman feet. The ground designated for burials was sacred and inviolable, and dogs or lions were often depicted defending the tombs.

Atestine funerary monuments

The most common incineration funerary monuments, introduced by Central Italic veterans, are cylindrical, parallelepiped, and slab-shaped cippus with inscription and relief decoration with objects related to the activity of the deceased. All had a quadrangular base with cavities for the cinerary. The tempietto stelae, in the Venetian tradition, show the busts of the deceased singly or in pairs and the inscription on their foreheads. Box or double-sloping sarcophagi housed inhumation burials.