A grain and olive oil depository is now a showcase for Rome's finest archaeological discoveries of the past 25 years. The 'Olearie Papali' on Piazza della Repubblica is an atmospheric storeroom boasting a dozen deep vats which, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, served the papal states of central Italy.

Beneath its smooth low ceilings, its walls are lined with ancient sculptures, mosaics, lamps, jewellery, coins and ivory dolls, as well as a bizarre collection of leather/platform shoes from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The exhibition is the fruit of archaeological surveys carried out in Rome between 1980 and 2006, comprising a rich series of finds from the historical centre: the Palatine, the Celio, around the Pantheon and Colosseum, to name just a few. Items were also unearthed in Rome's sprawling suburbs: including the vast areas along ancient roads such as the Nomentana and Tiburtina, Portuense, Ardeatina, Laurentina and Ostiense.

Also on show are the first items brought to light during excavations ahead of the construction of the new Metro Line C. However, some of the items, explains curator Maria Antonietta Tomei, "are not currently on public display and are unlikely to be so in the future, given the lack of museum space".

One factor that should be stressed is the amount of scientific work carried out behind the scenes of this exhibition: the philological analysis of hand-crafted items, their documentation, and their restoration where necessary. The City of Rome's department for archaeology has played a fundamental role in the entire project cycle, from the preliminary digs to the exhibition itself.

Rome's archaeology department presents the exhibition as "a way to raise awareness about the innumerable relics that the city and its suburbs continue to provide. Whether or not the excavations are carried out as a matter of urgency – eg before major public works – or for scientific/educational purposes, the finds continue to amaze. The digs that go on day to day confirm that the world's largest archaeological museum still remains buried beneath the ground."

More than a thousand finds are on show at the 'Olearie' and many were taken from digs around 'Meta Sudans' – a conical fountain around the Colosseum. This point marked the junction of two roads and five Augustan districts, which lasted until Mussolini’s urban renewal programmes.

A large number of finds hail from central areas that were modernised, as well as from the main archaeological area (especially around the Palatine), which provided the tiger in coloured marble. However, Rome's suburban areas have disgorged the richest finds. These also helped to improve our understanding of how Romans lived in what was then countryside around the eternal city.

From this area comes the sumptuous sarcophagus of the newlyweds, recently unearthed at Lunghezzina during public works; then there is the gold bracelet, adorned with coloured glass, found during excavations at the Air Terminal close to Ostiense; and the ‘archaised’ bust in red marble found at Vermicino.

The items date back not only to Republican and Imperial Rome, among the richest periods for floor mosaics, but also to earlier periods. Fine examples include those taken from a late Etruscan home along the Aurelia, as well as a tomb unearthed along the Laurentina, pieced back together for the first time for this exhibition.

The exhibition is targeted not only at tourists but also the people of Rome, shedding light on the city's incomparable artistic and cultural heritage. Moreover, as explained by Paola Catalano from the City of Rome's anthropological unit, the exhibition is also aimed at schools. As such, her department prepared a special booklet on "how the ancient Romans lived and what they were like".

Howard Hudson/Flavia Grassetti,
5 December 2006

Roma: Memorie dal sottosuolo
Ritrovamenti archeologici. 1980 -2006
Olearie Papali,
Piazza della Repubblica 12
(Entrance to the left of Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli)
Tel. +39.06.39967700
http://www.pierreci.it/do/show/article/01227

Admission: Adult €9, reduced €6
From 09.00 to 19.45 – Closed Mondays and public holidays.
(The ticket allows the bearer to visit, within the following three days, the permanent collections of the Museo Nazionale Romano: stunning musuem spaces like the Palazzo Massimo alla Terme, the Cripta Balbi and Palazzo Altemps.)