“City of the Dead” found in Corsica
Archaeologists have discovered 40 skeletons on the island of Corsica, buried in massive ceramic jugs. The age of the necropolis was estimated at 1,700 years, according to The Daily Mail.
The remains were buried at the base of the parish church in Lille-Rousse. This area in Corsica is called the “City of the Dead”. Scientists noted that the ancient tribes, as a rule, buried children in amphoras, but the bodies of adults are periodically found.
In the first half of the first millennium, representatives of various civilizations lived in Corsica. The island was ruled by the Carthaginians until 240 BC. Then it was captured by the Romans, and in 410 AD. – Visigoths. For some time Corsica was ruled by barbarians and Ostrogoths, and in 536 it became part of the Byzantine Empire.
Although the artifacts found in the excavation appear to be of Roman origin, they may have also been used by the Visigoths or later inhabitants of the island. Historians are still not very well aware of how such a mixture of different cultures influenced the island.
The study was conducted by representatives of the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP). Modern settlements in Lil-Rousse appeared in the middle of the 18th century. But, as earthworks show, this area has a much longer and richer history.
According to scientists, people have lived in this area for about six thousand years. But “archaeological evidence from previous generations was sparse and fragmentary.”
The first tombs dating back to the beginning of the first millennium were found in the spring of 2019. Further excavations made it possible to discover several dozen more burials in various architectural styles. Some were covered with terracotta materials. Archaeologists have dated them between the 3rd and 6th centuries.
The members of the scientific expedition said that additional analysis is needed to learn more about the personalities of the deceased. They also suggested that other burials and artifacts could be lurking underground.
Earlier it was reported that a necropolis of the 12th century BC was accidentally discovered in Cyprus. Employees of utilities stumbled upon him.
