Archaeologists from Rome’s Tor Vegata University have found what could be the remains of the palace of Sextus Tarquinius, son of the last King of Rome, L. Tarquinius Superbus [Tarquin the Proud].
The remains were found about twelve miles from Rome at the site of the Acropolis of Gabii where, according to Plutarch, Romulus and Remus were taught by Faustulus. Archaeologist Marco Fabbri believes that the Palace was deliberately destroyed during the revolt of 510 BC. This revolt was sparked by Sextus Tarquinius’s rape of his brother’s wife, Lucretia, who subsequently committed suicide. The revolt, in turn, led to the foundation of the Roman Republic.
Among evidence that the Palace was that of Sextus Tarquinius is a terracotta roof fragment bearing an image of the Minotaur, an emblem of his family. It is possible that the Palace predates the birth of Sextus and that he inherited it.
The excavation team have found three disconnected rooms with well preserved flooring under which they discovered the bodies of eight still-born babies. The rooms probably led to a porticoed area. Now the archaeologists hope to be able to piece together the whole of the elaborately decorated roof this spring.
