2,000-year-old Roman mass grave found beneath soccer field astonishes archaeologists

The discovery of hundreds of human remains of Roman soldiers makes the site exceptionally rare and significant. Typically, individuals like these would have received more formal burial rites.

Therefore, the disorganized arrangement of the bodies indicated to archaeologists that a sudden, “catastrophic” event necessitated their rapid and collective disposal. While their analysis is in its early stages, archaeologists have yet to determine if the burial was in a deliberately dug pit or a pre-existing depression.

What they do know, however, is that the grave came attached to a “dramatic” military confrontation. A Germanic group obliterated Roman troops, who consequently fled. Nonetheless, what they left behind was nothing short of a remarkable find.

However, what is certain is that the grave is linked to a “dramatic” military confrontation. A Germanic group decisively defeated Roman troops, who subsequently retreated. Nevertheless, the remains they left behind constitute a remarkable find.

“Within the context of Roman acts of war, there are no comparable finds of fighters,” Michaela Binder, head of the excavation, told The Independent. “There are huge battlefields in Germany where weapons were found. But finding the dead, that is unique for the entire Roman history.”

The Roman soldiers saw a bloody defeat in the 1^st century AD

Radiocarbon analysis of artifacts such as an iron dagger, lance points, scale armor, a helmet cheek piece, and hobnailed sandals known as caligae, a standard Roman military footwear, helped archaeologists date the battle to between 80 and 234 AD.

This period in history was marked by significant political upheaval, with numerous Roman emperors engaged in notable conflicts with Germanic tribes.

Initially, the bodies appeared to have been thrown into a pit due to their jumbled arrangement in piles with limbs intertwined. According to a press release, archaeologists have counted between 129 and 150 individuals. The deceased men, who were between 20 and 30 years old with an average height of 5.5 to 5.6 feet, were reported to have been in good health prior to their deaths.

Despite their apparent good health, they sustained severe perimortem injuries inflicted by spears, daggers, swords, and iron bolts from ranged weapons like crossbows. Evidence of blows was found on the skulls, torsos, and pelvises. Notably, a spearhead was even discovered embedded in a hip bone, as per Archeology Mag.

“They have various battle wounds, which rule out execution. It is truly a battlefield,” says Kristina Adler-Wölfl, the head of the Vienna city archaeological department. However, a press release noted that all the individuals showed signs of healthy teeth.

Similar treatment of bodies has been observed in other battles from the same period that resulted in Roman defeats, allowing archaeologists to recognize a pattern. “The other side had a lot of big clubs,” David Potter, a Greek and Roman History professor at the University of Michigan, told the New York Times.

Rare find of Roman skeletons

Romans typically cremated their soldiers until the 3rd century AD, making these skeletal remains an unprecedented source of information about their lives. “Finds of Roman skeletons from this period are…extremely rare,” the press release states.

So far, only one individual has been definitively identified as a Roman soldier. Researchers anticipate that upcoming tests, including DNA and strontium isotope analysis, will reveal further details about the men who perished in this battle 2,000 years ago.

Archaeologists suspect this battle occurred during Emperor Domitian’s Danube campaigns, The Independent reports. Moreover, this very battle could have played a crucial role in the establishment of the city of Vienna.

“The defeat attested here could, therefore, have been the immediate reason for the expansion of the formerly small military base into the legionary camp of Vindobona – less than seven kilometers from the site of the find. Hasenleitengasse may, therefore, mark the beginning of Vienna’s urban history,” the press release concludes.