Yhe Tomb of Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces the Baker, an ancient Roman funerary monument located near Porta Maggiore in Rome, Italy 🇮🇹 . . . In Rome, near a busy road junction, there is a strange monument that looks like a building made of kitchen equipment. It is the tomb of a baker. And the baker, according to most scholars, had once been a slave. The tomb belonged to a man named Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces. It was built around 50-20 BC, in the late Roman Republic. It stands beside what is now one of Rome's main streets, near the ancient gate called Porta Maggiore. The inscription tells us a few things. It says that Eurysaces was a baker and a contractor, and that he worked for the state. It also names his wife, Atistia, who is described as an excellent woman. Together, they were buried in the monument. His name suggests he was a freedman, a former slave who had been given his freedom. Many freedmen in Rome became wealthy through business. Eurysaces made bread for the city, and it was a trade that earned good money. He decided to show off his success with a grand tomb. The design is unusual. The tomb has a trapezoid shape, and is made of white travertine stone. On the front, there are large round holes set in rows, and cylindrical pillars. Experts think these represent the dough mixers and kneading machines used in his bakery. Along the top there is a long carved band, called a frieze, which tells the story of his work. It shows workers delivering grain, grinding it into flour, kneading dough, shaping loaves and baking them. At the end, officials weigh the finished bread and check it. That is one of the best surviving pictures of a Roman bakery. It shows how a large commercial bakery operated, with divisions of labour. The workers are shown in great detail, with their tools and tasks. The monument was nearly lost. In the 3rd Century AD, it was incorporated into the Aurelian walls, when they were built around the city, and it was covered by a tower. For centuries, it was hidden. It was only discovered in 1838, when the tower was taken down. After that, scholars were astonished to find it in nearly complete condition. The tomb tells a story that most Roman monuments do not. It is not about a general, an emperor or a politician. It is about a working person who took pride in his job. Today, the tomb is surrounded by traffic and modern buildings, but it still stands. It is one of the most unusual monuments in Rome, and a quiet tribute to the people who fed the city. #archaeohistories