The Roman Funerary Ark between Archaeology, Topography and Building Technology
The monument locally known as “Funeral Ark” o “Le Muracce” of Casalvieri, one of the most interesting archaeological sites in the Comino Valley, is located in the municipality of Casalvieri along the municipal road Muracce-Sorelle, perpendicular to the current route of the provincial road Sferracavalli.
It is an archaeological presence of primary importance from the point of view of both topographic either monumental in the context of the Roman archaeology of the Media Valle del Liri and Valle di Comino.
Topographical importance and ancient road network between Sora and Atina
Topographically, as is well known in studies of Roman archaeology, the funerary monuments stood near roadways. The Muracce monument should therefore also testify to the passage of an ancient road, probably the Sora-Atina, which would deviate slightly from the current Sferracavalli in this section.
Various topographical considerations, combined with the presence of a large paving stone preserved almost next to the monument, This excludes the possibility that it was a secondary road, which in this area could only have served the villas scattered throughout the area.
From a monumental point of view, for the architectural typology, The scarce archaeological bibliography of the Atina area - of which the Casalvieri territory was probably part at least in the area close to the Sferracavalli (Ager Atinas) - records this monument together with those in the locality S. Lorenzo, Casino Pica and Le Forme, classifying them as tower funerary monuments.
State of preservation before restoration in 1989
Before the restoration work carried out by Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Lazio in 1989, two rectangular pillars were partially visible. The volumes were not assessable due to the cover of ivy and shrubs, which seriously compromised the statics of the structures with roots deeply penetrating the masonry.
The inside of the plinth was also not assessable.
This had initially led to the hypothesis that the two cores belonged to a single monument, perhaps a fornice. However, weeding, excavation of the plinths and analysis of the tops using restoration scaffolding have made this hypothesis no longer tenable.
Analysis of the wall structures of the two cores
The weeding allowed detailed analysis of the structures
Core A (facing the municipal road)
- Height preserved:Â m 5,98
- 10 factory pours of local stone chips and mortar
- Presence of dented blocks probably pertaining to the cladding
- North front (Photo 7; Dis. III elevation C): 7 blocks inserted head-on into the core
- Blocks arranged in vertical alignment (except 2nd casting)
- Spacing compatible with cutting blocks or cladding slabs
The south front (Photo 8; Dis. IV prospectus A) presents similar characteristics, with a difference in the last block, placed in the 9th casting and off-centre.
Traces of key blocks are missing on the east and west sides.
Core B
Core B, more damaged by war and earthquakes, is preserved for m 5,84 and presents:
- 10 casts corresponding to core A
- Same wall texture
- Keyed blocks inserted in identical pattern
- Presence of hollow for grappa on a blockade of the northern front
- Relevant detail: the 4th casting in both cores is only high m 0,34
Building technique: square work and sack masonry
The analysis of the masonry, also confirmed by the grappa recess, indicates two cores with square face of local stone.
As described by Lugli in Roman Building Technology:
the concrete foundations were contained by rows of perimeter blocks, with internal sack filling; transverse blocks “in key” ensured structural bonding.
The square work therefore functioned as formwork for the inner concrete core. The castings correspond to the height of the facing blocks.
The 4th casting of m 0,34 thus indicates a special row of cladding, probably arranged “by list”.
Decorative hypothesis: Doric cornice or frieze
The 0.34 m band could represent:
- horizontal partition element
- architectural frame
- possible decoration
One can hypothesise, theoretically, a Doric frieze, widespread in the Media Valle del Liri and Valle di Comino, although a monument with a complete Doric frieze is not yet known in the area.
An interesting clue is the corner Doric frieze with rose window published by Rizzello, reused as an altar in the church of Roselli in Casalvieri, from the locality Sisters, directly connected to the Muracce-Sorelle road where the ruins stand.
Typology: “anomalous” tower funerary monument”
The classical tower tomb has overlapping recessed bodies (like Casino Pica). In the Casalvieri nuclei, this feature is missing.
The excavation revealed:
- two separate plinths
- distance between cores: approx. m 1,50
- absence of foundation linings
- sterile soil immediately below the plant layer
The space in between was reused over the centuries as a passageway and then as a communal road, but the excavation has ruled out the antiquity of this route: the Roman road probably passed to the north or south of the nuclei.
Structural and interpretative conclusions
The evidence allows some conclusions:
- the two cores are structurally independent
- are twins for building technology and decoration
- present square walling
- horizontal partition strip at 0.34 m
- possible Doric frame or frieze (hypothesis)
- the verticality typical of tower-like monuments, albeit without recessed sections
The question remains — much like the monuments of The Forms of Atina — on the reason for the presence of two twin monuments.
Burial niches and war damage
No burial niches have been identified with certainty. Only one cavity on the western side of Core B may have been one.
The area was affected by the the Cassino front during the Second World War; local accounts mention a military post near the ruins.
Restoration and conservation-oriented consolidation
The restoration was carried out in accordance with certain criteria non-reconstructive, using only minimal amounts of local rubble and mortar where necessary.
The consolidation, which was a priority particularly for Group B, was carried out by:
- vertical boreholes
- reinforced injections
- Type 425 fluid cement slurry
- formation of internal support piles