Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome
The Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death
Found 2010 — Excavations by the Rome Archaeological Superintendency (Patrizia Fortini) with the Vicariate of Rome and Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, 2009–2010 (results announced July 2010); the prison itself was never lost
Where Roman Forum, below the Capitoline Hill (Italy)
Dates from prison 4th–2nd century BCE (cult deposits from 6th century BCE); Christian shrine attested by the medieval period, frescoes 11th–14th century CE · Roman Republic–Imperial · Paul's final imprisonment (2 Timothy)
Now at In situ; open to visitors beneath San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, Rome
How Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome was found
The two-level rock-cut prison at the foot of the Capitoline was known through antiquity as the state prison (Sallust, Livy). The recent dig found votive deposits of the 6th–3rd centuries BCE around a spring, showed the site became a Christian cult place in the Middle Ages, and restored frescoes of the 11th–14th centuries showing Yeshua with Peter.
What it is
An upper trapezoidal chamber and a lower round cell (the Tullianum) cut into tufa, entered originally through a hole in the floor, with a spring. Jugurtha and Vercingetorix died here. A medieval altar and modern plaques commemorate Peter and Paul.
Why it matters for the Bible
Nothing in the New Testament names this prison. Acts 28 has Paul under house arrest in Rome; 2 Timothy 4:6–17 pictures a harsher final confinement, and 1 Clement (c. 96 CE) says both apostles died in Rome under Nero. The Mamertine tradition for Peter appears from the 5th–6th century and cannot be verified. The place shows what Rome's state prison looked like and is where pilgrims have remembered the apostles for over a thousand years, but it should be read as tradition.
The Hebrew word: bet hah-ah-soo-REEM
בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים
בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים is pronounced bet hah-ah-soo-REEM and means prison, house of the bound (Greek desmoterion) (Strong's H631 / G1201).
People this discovery connects to
- Paul — שָׁאוּל (Shah-OOL) — asked for (Greek Paulos)
- Peter — כֵּיפָא (kay-FAH) — rock (Aramaic Kefa; Greek Petros)
Places
- Rome — רוֹמִי (RO-mee) — Greek Rhome; Hebrew Romi
Events
Paul's final imprisonment and death under Nero (tradition) · Peter's martyrdom at Rome (tradition)
Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome in Scripture
Acts 2:10 First mention of Rome in Scripture.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul, expecting death, in his last imprisonment — traditionally located here.
2 Timothy 4:16-17 'At my first defence no one stood by me' — Paul's final trial in Rome.
Questions people ask
What is Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome?
An upper trapezoidal chamber and a lower round cell (the Tullianum) cut into tufa, entered originally through a hole in the floor, with a spring. Jugurtha and Vercingetorix died here. A medieval altar and modern plaques commemorate Peter and Paul.
When was Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome discovered?
It was found in 2010 by Excavations by the Rome Archaeological Superintendency (Patrizia Fortini) with the Vicariate of Rome and Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, 2009–2010 (results announced July 2010); the prison itself was never lost, at Roman Forum, below the Capitoline Hill.
Where is Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome today?
In situ; open to visitors beneath San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, Rome.
Which Bible verses does Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome relate to?
Acts 2:10, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 2 Timothy 4:16-17.
Is Mamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), Rome authentic?
The prison is real and ancient; the link to Peter and Paul rests on tradition first recorded centuries later and has no archaeological confirmation.
Related discoveries
- בֵּימָהThe Bema at CorinthThe judgment platform in the forum where Paul stood before Gallio
- מוֹשָׁבָהPhilippi: Forum, Bema, and the Prison TraditionThe Roman colony where Paul was beaten before the magistrates and freed by an earthquake
- שׁוֹטChrysopolitissa Basilica and 'St Paul's Pillar', PaphosCyprus' largest early church and the column where tradition says Paul was flogged
- עֵדSarcophagus of Paul at St Paul Outside the WallsThe Ostian Way tomb inscribed 'To Paul, apostle and martyr'
- כּוֹסAntioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch'The city where disciples were first called Christians — and a famous silver cup that is not what it seemed
- מָשִׁיחַCave Church of St Peter, AntiochThe grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met
Sources
- P. Fortini, Carcer Tullianum: Il Carcere Mamertino al Foro Romano (1998)
- H. W. Tajra, The Martyrdom of St. Paul (1994)
- Heritage Key, "Excavations at the Mamertine Prison Find Evidence of Pre-Christian Cult and the Cult of Saint Peter" (2010)
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