Ancient Skeletons Buried in Shoes and Jewels Discovered During Construction

Archaeology has been of great help in the rediscovery of hidden ancient artefacts, secrets, and treasures. The newest finding is the unearthing of 67 ancient skeletons buried in 57 ornate tombs during the period of the necropolis in Rome.

The discoveries were made after workers dug the area for two years for the installation of a solar power plant around Rome.

The site near the ancient city of Tarquinia, north of Rome, exposes skeletons clad in golden jewelry and expensive leather footwear and alleged to date between the second and fourth centuries, CNN reports. The Tarquina area is largely known for weird ancient discoveries but this surpasses all others.

Other items that could be found at the site include precious stones, gold earrings, amulets, coins, shiny glasses, terracotta pottery, and silver rings with embossed initials. The tombs are seen to have been decorated to look like a paradise for the rich and noble at the time even in death.

This is affirmed by Emanuele Giannini, lead excavation archaeologist at the site when he was speaking to CNN. He elaborates that some skeletons were found in their lavish stockings and footwear.

“We found several skeletons still wearing their expensive stockings and shoes. All these riches, and the fact that the bones show no sign of stress or physical labor, (leads us to believe) these weren’t local farmers, but upper-crust members of Roman families coming from cities,” he said.

“We did have a faint idea that some treasure could lie there, as historical sources mentioned the location of a postal station for travellers near the site,” explained Giannini. “Many Romans would stop (here) for the night to eat and rest, but the magnitude of the discovery is unmatched.”

Italy’s culture ministry is expecting more discoveries like this, hence, it is working with caution to ensure construction does not affect or ruin any archaeological finding.

“This is the fascination and beauty of Italy: Each time there’s a dig, incredible wonders from the past come out of the ground which need to be preserved. …We are excavating a huge rural area to redevelop the land and are balancing the need to avoid ruining such unique wonders with the goal of boosting clean energy production,” Margherita Eichberg, art heritage superintendent of the provinces of Viterbo and southern Etruria for Italy’s Culture Ministry, told CNN.

“The area where the necropolis has been discovered will not form part of the solar park and will be cordoned off for safety reasons, without public access,” she added.