Spain found an ancient sarcophagus

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The sarcophagus dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century ad.

Archaeologists who carried out excavations in the historic centre of Granada, suddenly found a lead sarcophagus in Ancient Roman times.

They were digging under the building Villamena, modern building next to the Granada Cathedral, which was built after the 14th century was demolished in 1938, writes the online edition of the Chronicle.info with reference for a New time.

When the emirs of Granada of the Nasrid dynasty (1228-1492) it was a warehouse used by the Genoese merchants for the storage of goods such as silk and sugar. After the Reconquista the Catholic Majesties turned the building into a prison. The dilapidated prison was demolished in the last year of the Second Spanish Republic. Only the front gate remained standing.

So, when excavations began, the archaeologists expected to find artifacts of medieval times. They carried out archaeological investigations in accordance with the requirements of the law to underground construction works. They found a few minor remains of the era of the emirs, having special meaning and decided, before excavation ends, to descend a little deeper.

A few meters below the surface under the slab of dirty Sandstone, they found the grave. When the plate was removed, the chief archaeologist angel Rodriguez was stunned to see the lead sarcophagus.

Rodriguez believes that the sarcophagus dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century ad, when the lead sarcophagi were not quite normal. In Andalusia they were expensive and difficult, as the industry has existed only in Cordoba, a distance of over 200 kilometers. “Cordova is the only place where they make the lead sarcophagi, explains Rodriguez.

Lead sarcophagus weighs from 300 to 350 kg and has the same dimensions as the classic coffin: of 1.97 meters in length and 40 centimeters in height. It is slightly wider in the head (56 cm) than in the foot (36 centimeters). At the first examination, Rodriguez stressed that there are no signs of the inscription, but added that “there is still a lot of clay and sand” and “we’ll see when we peel it”.

He belonged to a rich man, as lead coffins were extremely expensive even in those places where they were made on the spot. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries that is now in the centre of Granada, it was the countryside outside the Roman city. The Albaicin district was the center of a modest Roman settlement. There was no cemetery. According to reports, another lead sarcophagus was discovered working in the area in 1902, but before the archaeologists could get there, he was sacked. Perhaps the river had some sort of funerary significance for the inhabitants of the Roman settlement.

Currently, the sarcophagus is cleaned and stored in the Archaeological Museum of Granada. Researchers decide how best to approach the open coffin with the least amount of damage.

Since lead is very good retains its contents, perhaps, the sarcophagus still has human remains, graves might even textiles, which sheds new light on the burial practices of the Roman Granada.

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