COIN DATES FOURTH CENTURY B.C. ROMAN TOMB

Sometimes the most extraordinary finds occur by sheer luck.

At least that was the case of a fourth century B.C. chamber tomb that came to light five weeks ago during the construction of an aqueduct in a Rome suburb, when an earthmover accidentally opened a hole in the side of the chamber.

“Had the machine dug just four inches to the left, we would have never found the tomb,” Francesco Prosperetti, Rome’s special superintendent with archaeological oversight, told reporters on Friday. The tomb contained the remains of four occupants — three men and a woman — and funerary wares.

The tomb was dated to between 335 and 312 B.C. on the basis of a coin found next to a skeleton. One side depicts the head of Minerva, the flip side a horse head with the lettering: “Romano.”

To read the complete article, see:
Roman Tomb Unearthed; to Everyone’s Surprise, It’s Intact (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/arts/design/roman-tomb-intact.html)

Alongside the skeletons, archeologists found the remains of food offered to the gods, including the bones of rabbits, chickens, lambs and goats, as well as ceramic plates and bowls.

They also recovered a 4th century BC bronze coin decorated with the helmeted head of the goddess Minerva.

Finding a tomb that is intact is rare, because many discovered in the past are either damaged by subsidence or robbed of their artefacts by tomb raiders.

To read the complete article, see:
Roman merchant who was beheaded by flying rock while fleeing Pompeii had 'treasure trove' of silver coins (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/01/roman-merchant-beheaded-flying-rock-fleeing-pompeii-had-treasure/)

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