Three Ladies from Crustumerium, ca. 675-650 BC

Since 2006, the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) has been involved in the excavation of the Monte Del Bufalo necropolis at Crustumerium. The investigation yielded tens of tombs dating to the 7th and 6th century BC. The excavations took place in close collaboration with the SSBAR (Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma). The article discusses three female tombs that stand out when compared to other contemporaneous tombs at Crustumerium. In addition, these three tombs have much in common, in time but also in content and location. This article contains a description of the burial and funerary ritual of each tomb and subsequently will elaborate on the social status of the women, expressed in the artefacts with which they were interred. We will suggest identifying the women buried in tombs 71, 76 and 232, as mistresses of a main household in Crustumerium.