Seven fully preserved skeletons were found in Croatia, during excavations in the ancient city of Mursa. The skeletons belong to Roman soldiers who should have lived in the area 1,700 years ago.

The skeletons were found in 2011 in a water well that had been turned into a mass grave, researchers said.

The area was conquered by the Romans in the first century BC. and the city was an “important commercial and industrial center” bordering an active military zone, according to the paper published this week.

The men were probably soldiers who may have been involved in a battle for the city in AD 260. or died in an ensuing skirmish, according to the study published by the BBC.

All seven skeletons belonged to taller than average adult men.

The 4 must have been young Romans, between 18 and 25 years old, while the other three skeletons belong to middle-aged people, between 36 and 50 years old.

All were “robust” but showed “signs of early life stress” such as tooth decay.

skeletoi

The skeletons were placed in different locations and at different depths, the researchers said, but all appear to have been buried at the same time. Several bore wounds, which were probably caused by weapons such as arrows or spearheads.

Also, four of the skeletons underwent DNA analysis, which found that none appeared to be from the area.
One probably came from northern or eastern Europe, while another probably came from the Byzantine Empire.