Skeletons found in well-identified Roman soldiers killed 1,700 years ago

Seven fully preserved skeletons found in an ancient town in Croatia have been identified as Roman soldiers believed to have lived 1,700 years ago, scientists said in a new article.

The skeletal remains were found in 2011 during an excavation in the Roman city of Mursa, located in modern-day Croatia, in a well that had been repurposed as a mass grave, according to the researchers, who come from a number of European archaeological institutions. The area was conquered by the Romans in the first century BC and the city was an “important trade and craft centre” bordering an active military zone, according to the paper published this week.

All seven skeletons were identified as belonging to larger-than-average adult males. Four are younger adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, while the other three are middle-aged, between the ages of 36 and 50, the researchers found. All were ‘robust’ but showed ‘indicators of early life stress’ such as tooth wear.

The skeletons were placed in different positions and at different depths, the researchers said, but it appears they were all buried at the same time. The remains appear to have been ‘smashed’ shortly after death, the researchers said. The men were likely soldiers who may have taken part in a battle for the city in 260 CE or died in a skirmish afterwards, the researchers said.

Several of the skeletons had injuries, including blunt force wounds to the facial bones of one and stab wounds to the torsos of two others that were likely caused by weapons such as arrows or spearheads, the newspaper said. The wounds and their locations were determined by analysis of the skeletal remains.

The researchers were also able to use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyzes to learn more about the soldiers’ daily lives. They ate a lot of grains, including wheat and millet, and vegetables, but little meat, the study found. Four of the skeletons underwent DNA analysis, which showed that none appeared to be local to the area. One probably came from Northern or Eastern Europe, while another probably came from the Byzantine Empire.

Mursa remains have been examined by researchers for decades. Archaeologists have found a number of wells, small wells and other evidence of civilization.

Mursa was affected by a number of conflicts, the researchers said. Many of these occurred during the Depression of the Third Century, an era when Rome nearly collapsed due to civil wars, foreign invasions and economic problems, according to the CBS News affiliate network. BBC news. The city “eventually ceased to exist as an urban settlement” after attacks in 441 CE, the researchers said.