Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia in Marsala
The Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia in Marsala represents an important monument located in the necropolis of Lilibeo , now located in via Massimo D'Azeglio under a five-storey building. The hypogeum was discovered in 1994 following the demolition of a building.
The hypogeum consists of a trapezoidal burial chamber of about 25 m² which is accessed by a dromos carved into the rock. From the Latin epigraph dating back to the second century. A.D. it is clear that the tomb was dedicated to Crispia Salvia by her husband Iulius Demetrius. The woman was married for 15 years and died at about 45. According to some scholars, the importance of attributing the age to the woman and specifying the years of marriage could mean that the woman has already been married. The woman's names reveal her noble origins, belonging to two gens the Crispius, having economic interests in western Sicily given the findings of tools and tiles with the A.C. Crispi stamp in Segesta, and the Salvii also attributable to Lilibeo. The origins of her husband Iulius Demetrius cannot easily be known since the name was widespread in all the cities of Sicily, both by high-ranking people and by freedmen but the noble origin is not excluded.
The walls are rich in pictorial decorations where five dancers and a seated woman are depicted on a background painted with red flowers. Each of the dancers rests an arm on the shoulder of the one who precedes him, the first on the right holds a flower, the last a crown. The woman plays a double pipe "aulos"; diners around a three-legged table with a glass full of red wine; Peacocks holding a wreath and a "kalathos"; and Cupids in flight holding a garland of red flowers with green ribbons.
