Rare and Mysterious Ancient Roman Tomb Unveiled through High-Tech Scanning

Scientists have scanned an ancient Roman tomb at the Yorkshire Museum and created a 3D model, revealing unusual burial details.

Phys.org notes that usually the coffin contains the body of one person, but several people were placed in this coffin – two adults and a child who died at the same time.

The ceremony of their burial included unusual rituals, the bodies, along with clothes and shoes, were placed in a coffin, and then poured with a plaster solution. Of course, over time, the remains and clothing decomposed. But the gypsum retained its characteristics, which helped scientists create a detailed 3D model.

The scan revealed the smallest details of the original burial. For example, scientists noticed the presence of ribbons that tied a shroud on the head of the deceased, and pieces of cloth that were around the child’s body.

According to archaeologist Lucy Crichton, the scan results are stunning.

“The results show a tragedy that happened in York 1,600 years ago,” she says.

Archaeologists still do not know why the gypsum solution was poured into the bodies. This may be a burial rite for people of high social status, since similar graves have already been found in Europe and North Africa. They also found 45 similar graves in York.

Source: News