The necropolis of Emesa, also known as the necropolis of Tell Abu Sabun, was an ancient

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

of modern-day

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

, in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Excavations begun in August 1936 uncovered a total of 22 tombs before the greater part of this necropolis was made to disappear by 1952 in order to build the municipal stadium known today as

Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium () is a multi-use stadium located in thecity of Homs. It is the third-largest football stadium in Syria and is mostly used for football matches. It serves as the home ground of Al-Karamah SC and Al-Wathba SC and hold ...

. Among the artifacts found in these tombs was the

Emesa helmet The Emesa helmet (also known as the Homs helmet) is a Roman cavalry helmet from the early first century AD. It consists of an iron head piece and face mask, the latter of which is covered in a sheet of silver and presents the individualised po ...

. The

Tomb of Sampsigeramus The Tomb of Sampsigeramus () was a mausoleum that formerly stood in the necropolis of Emesa (modern-day Homs, Syria). It is thought to have been built in 78 or 79 CE by a relative of the Emesene dynasty. The remains of the mausoleum were blown up ...

, of which the remains had been blown up 1911 by the Ottoman authorities so as to make room for an oil depot, had also belonged to the necropolis. According to Michaela Konrad, the nature of the artefacts unearthed in grave no. 1 allow us to date it to the beginning of the first century CE, and to assume that it belonged to a member of the ruling dynasty. The discoveries from graves no. 11 and 6 also show that here too were buried individuals connected to the ruling house. The majority of the artifacts found were heavily influenced by

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

Iranian culture The culture of Iran () or culture of PersiaYarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) is one of the oldest and among the most influential in the world. Iran (Persia) is widely regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

, and even

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n traditions. Only a few of them came from the Roman world; they were found particularly in grave no. 1, confirming that the deceased had close relations with the rulers of Rome.

References

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External links

{{Commons category, Necropolis of Emesa 1936 archaeological discoveries Cemeteries in Syria Buildings and structures in Homs Archaeological sites in Homs Governorate Necropoleis History of Homs