Unlooted brick grave found in Roman necropolis in Croatia

Archaeological surveys performed as part of a reconstruction of the city market of Vinkovci, eastern Croatia, has unearthed a rare unlooted brick grave in a Roman-era necropolis. Out of more than 200 brick-built burials discovered in the area of the ancient city’s northern necropolis over the years, only two have been discovered intact and unlooted.

The city market area is known to have bordered the necropolis, so a preventative excavation was ordered before construction. This spring, archaeologists have unearthed 44 graves, but last Tuesday they found the first one that had not been looted in antiquity.

When the brick lined and topped tomb was opened, archaeologists found a skeleton that was nearly complete and in excellent condition. They were able to determine the skeletal remains belonged to an adult man between 40 and 45 years old at the time of death. Only two grave goods were found with him: an iron object by his right foot and a fragment of bronze on the right shoulder. Archaeologists don’t yet know what the objects were. They may have been part of his funerary clothing or something used for the burial rites.

The Vinkovci area has been continuously inhabited for over 8,000 years prompting local authorities to declare it “the oldest city in Europe.” Known as Cibalae, it was populated by Illyrian people when Rome conquered the province and was granted municipal rights by the Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 A.D.), making its official name Municipium Aelium Cibalae. That changed to Colonia Aurelia Cibalae when it was granted status of a colony by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, aka Emperor Caracalla (r. 196-217 A.D.), in the early 3rd century A.D. It was an important center of trade linking the eastern and western empire, and bears the distinction of having been the birthplace of two emperors: brothers Valentinian I (r. 364-375) and Valens (364-378). They are the only Roman emperors born in what is now Croatia.

* This article was originally published here