Rare, near-life-sized statues discovered in Pompeii tomb

Rare life-sized statues of toga-clad couple found in Pompeii tomb

The couple may have been married, and the woman appears to have been a priestess, researchers said.

Archaeologists believe that one of the sculptures, depicting a female figure, belongs to a priestess. The other, a male figure, wears shoes associated with the higher classes.

Lifesize Sculptures Found During Excavations of Pompeii Tomb

Life-size depiction of a couple: a man and a woman. Credit: Ministero della Cultura (The Italian Ministry of Culture) Archaeologists have uncovered two nearly lifesized sculptures of a man and a woman in a tomb near one of Pompeii’s main gates, offering fresh insight into elite life in the ancient Roman city before it was buried by volcanic ash in A.D. 79. The sculptures were found inside a large funerary monument built into a wall of burial nic…

During excavations in Pompeii, Italy, a tomb was found with two life-size statues of a man and a woman. It is possible that it is a depiction of a couple, but researchers from the University of Valencia also point to other possibilities.

Archaeologists Uncover Two Nearly Life-Size Statues Carved Into the Wall of a Tomb in Ancient Pompeii

The figures appear to represent a married couple. Experts think the woman, who is holding laurel leaves, may have been a priestess

By Barbie Latza Nadeau and Lianne Kolirin, CNN Two rare statues have been discovered during the excavation of a massive tomb in Pompeii. Archaeologists say the marble funerary statues of a toga-clad man and woman shed new light on the power wielded by priestesses in the ancient city, destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Found during ongoing excavations of the tomb just outside the Porto Sarno entrance to the dead city, the statu…