Budapest: aperto un sarcofago romano sigillato

[ARES III]

Preziosi. Vetri. Monete depositate per l’Aldilà. Un imponente sarcofago romano in pietra calcarea, rinvenuto perfettamente sigillato nel cuore di Budapest, ha restituito un quadro straordinario della vita e della morte di un individuo appartenente alla classe sociale elevata del tardo Impero Romano. Al suo interno sono stati scoperti i resti scheletrici di una giovane donna, accompagnati da un corredo funerario di notevole valore: vasi di vetro intatti, una pietra preziosa d’ambra, 140 monete e oggetti ornamentali di bronzo e osso, tutti elementi che suggeriscono la cura e l’attenzione riservata al defunto. Il sarcofago, databile al IV secolo d.C., appare realizzato ad hoc, distinguendosi dal frequente riuso di materiali più antichi, prassi comune nel periodo tardo-romano.

La scoperta è avvenuta nel distretto di Óbuda, corrispondente all’antica città di Aquincum, fondata dalla tribù celtica degli Eravisci nel I secolo a.C. Dopo la sconfitta degli Eravisci nel 12 a.C., i Romani trasformarono l’insediamento in un castrum militare, poi ampliato come città civile, integrata pienamente nella rete urbana dell’Impero. La posizione strategica lungo il limes del Danubio rese Aquincum un centro vitale per il commercio, la logistica militare e le attività artigianali e industriali. Entro la fine del II secolo, la città contava circa 30.000 abitanti, vantando strutture pubbliche imponenti: terme, acquedotti, due anfiteatri, templi e santuari, oltre a residenze private di lusso e al palazzo del governatore, fulcro dell’amministrazione provinciale.

L’area in cui il sarcofago è stato ritrovato era stata precedentemente occupata da abitazioni abbandonate nel III secolo, trasformate successivamente in spazio funerario. Mentre altre otto tombe furono individuate nella stessa zona, nessuna raggiungeva la complessità e l’eleganza di questo sarcofago. La struttura è caratterizzata da un coperchio ancora fissato con staffature di ferro e piombo fuso, un deterrente efficace contro i saccheggiatori che ne garantì la conservazione intatta fino all’intervento della squadra di archeologi del Museo Storico di Budapest, che utilizzarono attrezzature specializzate per sollevarlo senza danneggiarlo.

All’interno, dopo la rimozione di pochi centimetri di argilla penetrati attraverso il sigillo, gli esperti hanno documentato una serie di oggetti che riflettono sia la ricchezza materiale sia le credenze simboliche della defunta: forcine in osso, statuette in bronzo raffiguranti divinità minori o animali protettivi, un frammento di ambra, un vaso di vetro verde chiaro accompagnato da una piccola ciotola, e tracce di tessuto con filo d’oro, probabilmente parte di un abito o di un sudario decorativo. L’analisi dei resti ossei e dei manufatti indica che la donna era giovane e apparteneva a un ambiente di alto rango sociale, capace di accedere a materiali preziosi e a pratiche funerarie elaborate.

Il ritrovamento offre anche spunti di riflessione sul ruolo dei sarcofagi in pietra nella cultura funeraria romana. Questi manufatti erano spesso indicatori di status: la scelta di pietra calcarea resistente, la cura nella sigillatura e la ricchezza dei corredi erano tutte manifestazioni tangibili della memoria sociale del defunto. In particolare nel IV secolo, periodo di transizione in cui l’Impero Romano affrontava mutamenti politici e sociali, la realizzazione di sarcofagi personalizzati rifletteva il desiderio di conservare identità e prestigio oltre la morte. L’uso di materiali durevoli e di tecniche di fissaggio complesse aveva anche una funzione pratica: proteggere il corpo dai saccheggi e preservare il corredo funerario, elementi fondamentali per i rituali di commemorazione.

Il contesto urbano di Aquincum permette di inserire la scoperta in una trama più ampia di vita cittadina, attività economiche e pratiche sociali. La città, grazie alle sue industrie e al suo commercio lungo il Danubio, favoriva la circolazione di beni preziosi come vetro, metalli e pietre semi-preziose, facilmente rintracciabili nei corredi funerari. Le tombe rinvenute negli edifici riconvertiti testimoniano un uso pragmatico dello spazio urbano in declino, con la scelta di sepolture più elaborate riservate a chi deteneva ancora un certo prestigio, mentre la maggior parte della popolazione doveva accontentarsi di soluzioni più modeste.

I reperti e i resti scheletrici saranno ora analizzati con tecniche osteologiche, archeometriche e di conservazione, presso il Museo di Storia di Budapest, offrendo non solo informazioni sul singolo individuo, ma anche sulla vita quotidiana, la dieta, le pratiche funerarie e il commercio di beni di lusso nell’Europa centrale romana. La scoperta di questo sarcofago sigillato, così intatto, costituisce una testimonianza straordinaria del rapporto tra memoria, status e ritualità nell’epoca tardo-romana, illuminando il modo in cui la città di Aquincum e i suoi abitanti cercavano di preservare il prestigio individuale e familiare in un mondo in trasformazione.

https://www.stilearte.it/mio-dio-ricchezza-e-lacrime-cosa-abbiamo-trovato-nei-giorni-scorsi-nel-sarcofago-romano-che-non-era-stato-mai-aperto/

Sealed Roman sarcophagus opened in Budapest

 

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sarcophagus-opened-430x286.jpgA massive Roman limestone sarcophagus found still sealed in Budapest has been opened revealing the skeletal remains of a woman and dozens of valuable grave goods, including intact glass vessels, an amber gemstone and 140 coins. It dates to the 4th century, a period when people often reused old sarcophagi, but this one was made specifically for the deceased.

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sarcophagus-lid-removed-430x286.jpgThe sarcophagus was discovered in an excavation of the Óbuda district, the site of the ancient city of Aquincum. Founded by the Celtic Eravisci tribe in the 1st century B.C., the settlement was converted into a Roman military castrum and associated civilian city by Rome after its defeat of the Eravisci in 12 B.C. Its strategic location on the Danube limes made Aquincum a hive of military and commercial activity. It was made the capital of the imperial province of Pannonia Inferior in 103 A.D., and by the end of the 2nd century had grown to a city of 30,000 with public baths, an aqueduct, two amphitheaters, temples and sanctuaries, extensive industry (pottery making, metalwork, fabric dying, food production), the governor’s palace and other luxury domiciles for wealthy residents and city officials.

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Clay-removed-from-opened-sarcophagus-430x286.jpgThe massive size and quality of the sarcophagus and the objects it contain mark the deceased as one of those wealthy residents. It was discovered among the remains of houses abandoned in the 3rd century that were later repurposed as a burial ground. Eight other graves were found in the area, but none of them were as elaborate, richly furnished or well-preserved as the sarcophagus.

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Archaeologists-examine-intact-glass-vessel-200x163.jpgThe lid was still fixed in place, clamped to the sarcophagus with iron brackets and molten lead. It must have been an intimidating prospect for looters, because the sarcophagus was never disturbed until the team of archaeologists from the Budapest History Museum and heavy machinery lifted the lid.

Ahttp://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Glass-bowl-200x156.jpgn initial excavation inside the coffin at the site removed 1.5 inches of clay that had seeped through the seal. Archaeologists found a bone hairpin, bronze figurines, a piece of amber, 140 coins, a light green glass vase with a matching small bowl and traces of a textile with gold thread. The size of the bones and the nature of the artifacts indicate the deceased was a young woman.

The skeletal remains and the artifacts will now be analyzed and conserved at the Budapest History Museum.

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Skull-and-bones-found-in-sarcophagus-200x133.jpg http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jewelry-in-sarcophagus-200x213.jpg http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sarcophagus-artifacts-200x142.jpg

 

https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74707

[SS-12]

Interessante!

[ARES III]

[ARES III]

 

 

Archaeologists lift the lid on a 1,700-year-old Roman sarcophagus hidden beneath Budapest

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A remarkably well-preserved Roman sarcophagus has been unearthed in Hungary’s capital, offering a rare window into the life of the young woman inside and the world she inhabited around 1,700 years ago.

Archaeologists with the Budapest History Museum discovered the limestone coffin during a large-scale excavation in Óbuda, a northern district of the city that once formed part of Aquincum, a bustling Roman settlement on the Danube frontier.

Untouched by looters and sealed for centuries, the sarcophagus was found with its stone lid still fixed in place, secured by metal clamps and molten lead. When researchers carefully lifted the lid, they uncovered a complete skeleton surrounded by dozens of artifacts.

“The peculiarity of the finding is that it was a hermetically sealed sarcophagus. It was not disturbed previously, so it was intact,” said Gabriella Fényes, the excavation’s lead archaeologist.

The coffin lay among the ruins of abandoned houses in a quarter of Aquincum vacated in the 3rd century and later repurposed as a burial ground. Nearby, researchers uncovered a Roman aqueduct and eight simpler graves, but none approaching the richness or pristine condition of the sealed tomb.

Keeping with Roman funerary customs, the sarcophagus held an array of objects: two completely intact glass vessels, bronze figures and 140 coins. A bone hair pin, a piece of amber jewelry and traces of gold-threaded fabric, along with the size of the skeleton, point to the grave belonging to a young woman.

The objects, Fényes said, were “items given to the deceased by her relatives for her eternal journey.”

“The deceased was buried very carefully by her relatives. They must have really loved who they buried here,” she said.

During the Roman period, much of what is now Hungary formed the province of Pannonia, whose frontier ran along the right bank of the Danube River less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the site. A short distance away stood a legionary camp guarding the empire’s border, and the newly found structures are believed to have been part of the civilian settlement that grew around it.

Anthropologists will now examine the young woman’s remains, a process expected to reveal more about her age, health and origins. But even now, the grave’s placement and abundance of artifacts offer strong clues.

The sarcophagus and its contents “definitely make it stand out,” said Gergely Kostyál, a Roman-period specialist and coleader of the project. “This probably means that the deceased was well-to-do or of a higher social status.”

“It is truly rare to find a sarcophagus like this, untouched and never used before, because in the fourth century it was common to reuse earlier sarcophagi,” he added. “It is quite clear that this sarcophagus was made specifically for the deceased.”

Excavators also removed a layer of mud roughly 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) thick from inside the coffin that Fényes hopes could contain more treasures.

“I suspect we could find jewelry. We haven’t found any earrings or other jewelry belonging to the woman, so I hope that these small items will turn up during the sifting of the mud,” she said.

For Fényes, the discovery of the Roman sarcophagus is not only of scientific significance, but an emotionally resonant insight into the devotion displayed by people in an ancient time.

“I was very touched by the care and expression of love that we were able to get a glimpse of,” she said. “Even now, I shudder to think how painful it must have been for the people at that time to bury this young lady.”

https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/world/archaeologists-lift-the-lid-on-a-1-700-year-old-roman-sarcophagus-hidden-beneath-budapest/article_961d5ae4-abde-58b3-b2a4-306c98433e28.html

[ARES III]