Wall painting of Late Antique tombs in Sirmium and its Vicinity

Abstract

In the east and northwest necropoles of Sirmium were discovered painted tombs which were not published until now. Painting in them is from the 4th century. The grave next to the north-west wall of basilica of St. Iraeneus (east necropolis) was painted with tied garlands and stem, and partly saved frescoes from the tomb around the basilica of St. Sineros (north-west necropolis) point to the conclusion that this is a funeral procession, the scene which is represented in its entirety in the tomb in neighboring Beška. These three tombs belong to the pagan population of Sirmium and its vicinity. On the west wall of the tomb in Mike Antića Street (periphery of the east necropolis) is represented the motif of scales with fillings, while on its south and north wall are represented the episodes from Jonah’s cycle. Painting in the tomb shows that the buried person was a Christian. Of Christian character is also the burial in the tomb from the village Čalma, not far from Sirmium. On its longitudinal walls is schematically represented the railing, made of parts between which there were the columns carrying the herms, and which has the symbolical meaning of the “railing of Paradise”. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177007: Romanization, urbanization and transformation of urban centres of civil, military and residential character in Roman provinces on territory of Serbia]

Keywords

• Sirmium
• Late Antiquity
• painted tomb
• paganism
• Christianity