During excavations in the central part of the country in the valley of the Nevola River, Italian archaeologists discovered a magnificent tomb of the Iron Age, which contained many weapons, jewelry and a chariot.
Live Science talks about the research. Aerial photography helped archaeologists to find the tomb. A team led by Federica Boschi from the University of Bologna surveyed from the air a piece of land in the city of Corinaldo that the local authorities had allocated for the construction of a sports complex.
From a bird's eye view, the remains of large circular ditches were seen. Scientists found this strange. They carried out further research on the ground. Thus, archaeologists measured the electromagnetic field at various sites and discovered an underground anomaly. And magnetic surveys confirmed that there are many metal objects under the surface.
It was decided to carry out excavations. So a tomb was found full of ancient treasures. The dimensions of the tomb itself were modest - 3, 2x2, 8 meters. However, it was surrounded by a round ditch 30 meters wide. In addition, an earthen mound was poured over the burial in ancient times.
In the tomb, scientists found many different weapons and objects made of iron and bronze. In particular, a bronze military helmet, a bronze bucket known as a situla, and the remains of a chariot were found.
Scientists did not find human remains in the tomb, so the identity of the owner of the burial remains a secret. Judging by the number and luxury of burial items, he was a person of a very high social status. Archaeologists even called the tomb "princely".
It has not yet been established exactly when the human remains disappeared from the tomb and for what reason. The researchers shook off the version of the grave robbers, since the treasures remained intact.
The body may have been buried at the top of the mound. In this case, bones over the past millennia could be turned out of the ground, crushed and thrown out during plowing - this area has traditionally been used for agriculture for many centuries.
The tomb dates back to the 7th century BC, that is, it is about 2600 years old. It probably belonged to the Piceni culture, a community of Iron Age people who inhabited Italy's Adriatic coast. It is known about these people that they were very warlike. In 268 BC, Rome annexed their lands.
The tomb may have belonged to the commander Piceni. This is indicated by the presence of a chariot and a large number of weapons in the burial.
