Description
Archaeological exhibition 'Mors inmatura. THE Fadienie their sepulcher ', Delizia Estense del Verginese, Gambulaga di Portomaggiore (27 April 2006 - 27 May 2007).
Texts by Fede Berti, Fabio Bevilacqua, Florence Caillaud; Giuseppe Camodeca, Cristina Chiavari, Marco De Donno, Marco Marchesini, Mario Marchioni, Silvia Marvelli, Clara Martini, Maurizio Molinari, Anna Lina Morelli, Claudio Negrelli, Nicoletta Onisto, Daria Prandstaller, Vincenzo Scarano Ussani, Marco Stefani, Ursula Thun Hohenstein.
The XVI Book of Archeology of the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia Romagna concerns the publication, very quickly, of a small but important Roman necropolis, the one found in the Ferrara area, in Gambulaga, belonging to the rich Fadieni family, who lived in the delta area in the early imperial age. Beyond the scientific merit and the importance of the systematic and accurate publication both of the excavation context and of the funerary steles with their figurative heritage and the remarkable epigraphic text, and, finally, of the reference funeral kits, it is important to note the novelty of the archaeological discoveries of Gambulaga. It is in fact one of the rare occasions in which we can appreciate the funerary events of one of the families who presumably lived in the large villas of the Po valley, as we know for example from the excavations of Russi, or the rich rural villages that were located along the consular roads of the Cisalpina. These are the representatives of a middle-high ruling class that formed the backbone of the economic system of this region, making it one of the richest in the Empire between the late Republican age and the second century AD; among them the high ranks of the Roman bureaucracy and army were certainly chosen. Of the Fadieni we can now appreciate, thanks to the excavation and study of Fede Berti and his collaborators, a glimpse not only of the funeral rites and ceremonies, but also of the economic events and lifestyle.
Louis Malnati (Superintendent for the Archaeological Heritage of Emilia Romagna)
In collaboration with SAMI, Società degli Archeologi Medievisti Italiani
