Ipogeo Vico San Martino

The Hypogeum of Vico San Martino is a fourth-century BCE chamber tomb discovered beneath Canosa's historic centre in 1988.

Why it matters

The excavation revealed a sequence of burial and settlement beneath the modern town, showing how Canosa's urban neighbourhoods developed over earlier necropoleis.

What to notice

The rock-cut tomb was discovered with funerary furnishings, in contrast to earlier trench graves in the same area. Excavations also identified later housing and a clay-working installation, illustrating changing use of the site.

Context and history

Archaeologists uncovered the hypogeum during a 1988 campaign between Vico San Martino and Via Aristofane. The finds were presented in an exhibition at Palazzo Sinesi in 1995. The tomb belongs to a wider group of chamber tombs beneath the historic centre of Canosa.