The Ministry of Culture and Sports has begun the construction of an innovative cover over the tomb of Postumio, in the Archaeological Ensemble of Carmona (Seville), as a new measure to prevent deterioration from potential rainwater ingress. The architectural solution, carried out by the architect and professor at the University of Seville, Manuel Ordóñez, within the framework of the university project cobArQact, features a double membrane cover that creates an intermediate air chamber that, when properly monitored and managed, allows the movement of hot and cold air masses inside the funerary complex to ensure its preservation.
The Archaeological Ensemble of Carmona – the first site to open to the public in Spain in 1885 – preserves a wide range of Roman tombs, most of which date back to the 1st century. They follow a typology that takes advantage of the easy substrate provided by the rocky region where they are located, the Alcores region (known as calcarenite), to create underground chambers accessed by a vertical shaft or courtyard, so with water ingress, the rock degrades into sand.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, explained that «the Necropolis of Carmona faces with this innovative solution, the result of a heritage research project, the challenge of its conservation since, from its excavations in 1885 and 1910, the tombs have been exposed to harsh environmental conditions.» Despite previous measures taken to prevent direct or indirect rainwater entry into the complexes «more advanced solutions are needed to guarantee their conservation for the enjoyment of today’s Andalusians and future generations».
In this regard, Del Pozo emphasized the significant investment effort maintained by the Government of Juanma Moreno in the field, which since 2019 has exceeded 71.2 million euros solely in the restoration and conservation of Andalusia’s historical heritage. Additionally, «the constant work carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Sports for the conservation and safeguarding of cultural assets, which also involves support for their study and research by experts,» she pointed out.
The minister stressed that new conservation and research techniques are crucial for the future of our historical heritage. «The Junta will always support research groups, like the one involved in the university project cobArQac,» she said. This university project is funded by the Junta de Andalucía and led by the PhDs in Architecture and professors at the University of Seville, Juan Carlos Gómez de Cózar and Ángel Luis León.
After a year of testing, the research team, in collaboration with the Archaeological Ensemble of Carmona and the Territorial Delegation of Culture and Sports of the Junta de Andalucía in Seville, took on the challenge of designing and implementing a cover for one of the tombs in the Necropolis that not only contains ancient mural paintings but is also visitable and requires preventive conservation work. The most suitable candidate was the tomb of Postumio.
The architectural solution, authorized by the Provincial Heritage Commission of Seville – in the session held on September 25, 2024 – as well as by the Carmona City Council, materializes in an original system of lightweight cover with great adaptability to the geometry and contour conditions of the site, designed through a geometric generation process using parametric software. The cover, practically, leaves no physical footprint on the site, as its support on the archaeological soil is achieved through hidden elements of shallow ballast and total reversibility. It also represents an environmental innovation as it is self-sufficient, with minimal impact throughout its lifecycle.
The Tomb of Postumio
It is a funerary complex dating back to the 1st century, characterized by a large courtyard excavated in the rock in the open air, accessed through a staircase. The courtyard leads to a chamber carved into the rock where niches are found to receive the niches containing the cremated remains of the deceased. Thanks to an inscription found during its excavation in the late 19th century, it is known that the owner’s name was Quinto Postumio.
The chamber is adorned with mural paintings on walls and ceilings. Although it has undergone repeated restorations in recent years, its conservation status is precarious. Therefore, restoration work has been carried out on the chamber walls to maintain the original proportionality.
Likewise, the tomb has been the subject of a study on its initial appearance, which has been captured in a video that can be viewed from any mobile device on-site.