OSTERIA NUOVA

Location: Osteria Nuova, Rieti (Italy) — 42.2122 N, 12.8216 E

Dating: 1st–2nd centuries AD

Characteristics: Osteria Nuova contains a monumental Roman mausoleum constructed using very large limestone and travertine ashlar blocks laid without mortar. The monument was later incorporated into an 18th-century roadside building which preserved much of the ancient structure. Access is through a long covered corridor (dromos) leading into a nearly square burial chamber. The interior chamber is covered by a remarkable ashlar curving vault which has attracted architectural study as an example of advanced Roman stone-cutting and vault engineering. Surviving visible exterior masonry reaches approximately 7–9 meters in height, while the monument sits on a substantial stone base estimated at roughly 30×30 meters (900 square meters). An interesting feature of the external blocks is a series of sweeping cut marks. Similar grooves can be found on megalithic stonework throughout the Mediterranean. Nearby investigations have also identified pre-Roman underground hydraulic works (cuniculi/cistern systems) in the surrounding area, indicating earlier landscape use before construction of the mausoleum. The blocks forming the dromos corridor are measured 2.75 meters in length (approximately 6.5 metric tons), and the entrance lintel is 3.84 meters in length with estimates putting its weight at just under 10 tons. Studies of the site have raised some interesting questions about Roman attribution, especially when it comes to the internal vault design and lifting of such enourmous blocks.

Polygonal classification: Opus Quadratum or ashlar masonry – it is not normally classified as polygonal but would be most similar to Type IV (Lugli)

Attribution: The area’s pre-Roman structures are attributed to the Latins, but this particular mausoleum is attributed to an elite family during the Imperial Rome period.

Specific points to see:

• Via Mertense – Sepolcro Romano dei Massacci