The inscription on the gravestone proudly attests to how far Marcus Venerius Secundio, a former slave of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, went in life. In order of importance, he lists his achievements after being liberated. The first was his role as custodian of the Temple of Venus, built soon after the creation of Pompeii as a Roman colony.

He also joined the ranks of the Augustales, a college of priests who were in charge of a form of emperor worship. But perhaps the most telling indication of his eventual status was that he financed entertainment events in Greek and Latin.

“Being a slave is humiliating, you are in the possession of someone else,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii’s archaeological park. “So here we see evidence of a transformation in social ranking … he is showing that he became a different person, that he made it in life.”

Secundio’s partially mummified remains, including white hair, bones and a partly visible ear, were recently found in a monumental tomb located in a prime spot at the necropolis of Porta Sarno, which was one of the main entrance gates into ancient Pompeii.

Secundio, who was first identified as a public slave in archives belonging to Caecilius Iucundus, a rich banker who lived in the city, is believed to have died at around the age of 60 in the decades before Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. Two urns were also found in the tomb, one with the name Novia Amabilis, possibly Secundio’s wife, along with a coin celebrating Greek athletic games organised by Emperor Nero.

The astonishing discovery provides more insight into the prosperity of Pompeii in the years before Mount Vesuvius’s catastrophic eruption as well as the city’s lively cultural scene.

It was already known that freed slaves thrived in Pompeii, one of the most salient examples being the House of the Vettii, an ornate home in the city that was owned by two brothers who became rich through trade. Inside the house is a fresco depicting Priapus, the god of fertility, with a large penis next to a bag filled with money thought to have symbolised the wealth accumulated by the brothers.

Slaves usually had to pay a fee to secure their release. “Of course, there were many freed slaves who didn’t become wealthy and so they formed the lower and middle classes, becoming merchants, craftsmen or general workers,” said Zuchtriegel. “But then others became really rich, sometimes even wealthier than their former masters.”

But even more remarkable in the case of Secundio – whose remains are said to be the best-preserved ever found in Pompeii – is that he was entombed and not cremated, as was the norm for adult Pompeiians. Furthermore, his body was mummified.

“Only small children were buried, so this tomb burial is something extremely exceptional and could be a sign of the importance and wealth he achieved in the city as well as how well integrated he was,” added Zuchtriegel. “We’ll also need to analyse the remains to see if substances were maybe used on purpose [to preserve the body].”

The slaves of the period were fortunate to be living under Emperor Nero, who favoured their liberation compared to his Roman senators who sometimes tried to banish them back to slavery. Secundio’s role with the Augustales priests might have given him more protection from the emperor.

Preliminary analysis of his skeleton showed that Secundio didn’t undertake heavy manual labour during his life. “But still he was a slave, he worked for the city,” said Zuchtriegel.

It was Secundio’s role as custodian of the Temple of Venus that could have led him to organise Ludi, festivals that could have been anything from theatre performances and music contests to athletics and gladiator games. The reference to Ludi in Greek on his tombstone is the first clear evidence of performances at Pompeii staged in the Greek language and also reflects the lively and open cultural climate of ancient Pompeii, according to Zuchtriegel. “We knew that many people learned, studied and spoke Greek but this inscription seems to confirm that there were also plays in the Greek language,” he added.

Archaeologists will carry out further excavations of the Porta Sarno necropolis next year, with the aim of eventually opening the area to the public. Most of the human remains found at Pompeii have belonged to victims of Mount Vesuvius.

Excavations in Regio V, a vast area of the archaeological park, last year revealed the remains of two men believed to have been a slave and his master who died while fleeing the eruption. The remains of animals have also been found in recent years, as have villas, frescoes and thermopolia, or snack bars. In August 2019, archaeologists discovered a “sorcerer’s treasure trove” with relics including crystals, glass beads, mirrors and buttons made of bones.

The discoveries lure visitors to the site in their droves. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Pompeii was one of the most visited archaeological sites in the world. There was a long queue of people waiting to enter the park on Thursday morning; visitor numbers having almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. Zuchtriegel has no doubt that the discovery of Secundio will attract even more. “This story, in one angle of the city, is almost like an introduction … it draws you into the whole story,” he said.