The Dame from Simpelveld

In 1930 a number of Roman sarcophagi were found in the Limburg municipality of Simpelveld. Most were empty and undecorated, so there was little information to extract from them. But a sarcophagus provided the archaeologists with a wealth of information. The Dame van Simpelveld was buried in it.

The outside of the sandstone sarcophagus is almost untouched, the surprise was on the inside. The sarcophagus is sculpted on the inside, which is quite unique because usually the outside of a sarcophagus was richly decorated with sculpture. On one of the outer sides of the sarcophagus is a large hole, the result of grave robberies in the past. However, a number of grave goods from the sarcophagus have been preserved, including some precious jewelry, a silver mirror, a glass bottle and an earthenware wine pitcher. The sarcophagus also contained cremated remains of the deceased.

Several pieces of furniture have been sculpted on the inside of the sarcophagus. These give an idea of ​​what furniture from that time and region must have looked like. Valuable information for archaeologists. It is very difficult to determine exactly what Roman furniture looked like, since much of the furniture was made of wood and has deteriorated over time. A villa can also be seen in the sarcophagus, possibly the house of the deceased. The deceased himself also appears to be shown lying on a couch.
Simpleveld’s villa

Three sarcophagi had been found in the same area. As a result, the archaeologists thought that the house of these deceased might also be nearby. The archaeologists searched the surrounding area and in 1937 found the foundations of a villa. Possibly this could be the villa depicted in the Sarcophagus of Simpelveld.