Haunting ancient well found ‘stuffed with bodies of Roman soldiers’ after battle 1,800 years ago

LOST remains of ancient Roman soldiers have been uncovered at the bottom of a well.

Seven “victims of a catastrophic event” were found in what archaeologists are calling a “mass grave”.

6

6

Remarkably, the skeletons were completely preserved, allowing experts to peer back into ancient history.

The skeletons were found during excavations of an ancient well in eastern Croatia.

And experts think that the soldiers died during the battle of Mursa, which took place around 1,800 years ago.

“A peculiar archaeological feature representing a mass grave with seven completely preserved skeletons was discovered at the site of the Roman period city of Mursa,” said lead author Mario Novak, writing in the journal PLOS ONE.

The site was being excavated before the construction of a university at Mursa, now known as Osijek.

Typically mass graves weren’t used for Roman burials.

But scientists writing in the study say that it was sometimes an option during “catastrophic events”.

Osijek – then Mursa – was one of the most important settlements in near the Danube in the Roman province of Pannonia.

The Romans conquered the region is the 1st century BCE and established a camp, which led to a Roman civilian settlement.

It became an important centre for trade and craft, according to experts.

But the city was ultimately doomed.

“The city played an important role in several historic events, especially in the 3rd/4th centuries CE during the so-called ‘Crisis of the Third Century’ (235–284 CE),” the authors explained.

“When various emperors and claimants fought for the throne resulting in numerous battles that significantly weakened the Empire.

“For example, in 260 CE emperor Gallienus fought against Ingenuus, and in 351 CE emperor Constantius II defeated Magnentius in battles that took place outside the walls of Mursa.

6

6

“After the Gothic incursions in 378 CE, no significant reconstructions were undertaken, and with the Hunnic conquests in 441 CE, Mursa ceased to exist as an urban settlement.”

The battle of Mursa was fought on September 28, 351, and was one of the bloodiest in Roman history.

It was considered a pyrrhic victory for Constantius, who lost an estimated 30,000 – versus 24,000 casualties for Magnetius.

And scientists think that the people at the bottom of the well are Roman soldiers who fought in this battle.

6

“Ancient DNA analysis shows that individuals from the Mursa mass grave had a heterogenous ancestry,” Novak explained.

“None of them show genetic continuity with the preceding local Early Iron Age population”.

He added that the archaeological investigations into the “Mursa mass grave strongly suggest that the studied individuals were Roman soldiers”.

He said that they were “victims of a catastrophic event”, and noted that this was “most probably the battle of Mursa from 260 CE”.

6

Several of the skeletons, which were originally discovered in 2011, showed signs of injuries, including two “cranial blunt force injuries”.

Scientists said that they “strongly indicate intentional violence”, adding that this type of injury “is usually associated with face-to-face combat”.

Some of the injuries were also linked to arrows or spear tips.