Between the second half of the 6th and the end of the 5th century BC, Via dei Monti Ceriti and Via dei Monti della Tolfa were lined with cube tombs arranged in regular blocks. Each monument was partly cut into the tufa bedrock and partly built from blocks: a podium with a torus supported the upper volume, finished by another moulding and an earthen covering. The chambers have benches and pitched ceilings with a central beam. Pale macco, peperino and reddish tufa also created a refined polychrome effect.
What to look for
Look at the row, not only at one doorway: repetition, paths and junctions turn the necropolis into a planned neighbourhood of the city of the dead.
Discovery and excavation
Its chronology, mixed construction and use of differently coloured tufa are described in the UNESCO dossier.