Elysii Campi Arelatenses
About
A mile-long avenue of tombs and carved stone sarcophagi lining the road just outside the walls of Roman Arelate. Wealthy citizens of the busy river port had lined the way with monuments since Julius Caesar planted a colony of veterans here, giving the cemetery its later name, the Elysian Fields. Rows of coffins stretched toward the horizon, a sight that centuries later drew painters like Van Gogh. By 117 CE it had already served as Arelate's main burial ground for well over a century.
What happened here
The dead are outside the walls because the law requires it, so the approach to every town is lined with them. Tombs face the road in rows, grand ones in front and simpler markers behind, all of them addressed to the passer-by. Burial clubs let ordinary people and slaves pay a monthly subscription for a place in a communal vault and a decent funeral; the alternative is a pit. Families come out on anniversaries and at the February festival, eat at the graveside, and pour wine into a pipe set into the ground. Undertakers, stonecutters and letter-cutters work nearby and compete on price. Ground is bought by the foot, and the frontage on the road costs the most.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →