Utility workers laying pipes under the pavement of the Via Luigi Tosti in Rome’s Appio Latino quarter found something ancient and historically significant. While chipping out tunnels they discovered a set of underground rock tombs, which were recognizable by their distinctive sizes and shapes. Within one of these was found a striking Roman terracotta dog statue.
The Roman Dog Statue and the Hidden Tombs of the Via Latina
Officials from the utility firm Acea reported this discovery to the authorities, and archaeologists were quickly dispatched by Rome’s heritage department to investigate. While verifying the existence of the ancient funerary complex, which has been dated to the late-Republic/early-Empire period, the archaeologists unearthed a rare and most interesting item. Inside a funerary urn, they found the unique terracotta dog statue .
It is not unusual for ancient burials to produce a wide variety of burial objects. But the striking and precisely crafted dog statue was nevertheless an unexpected discovery.
