Archaeologists Found a ‘Perfectly Preserved’ Skeleton—It’s Over 2,000 Years Old

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Archaeologists Found a ‘Perfectly Preserved’ Skeleton—It’s Over 2,000 Years Old

A “perfectly preserved” skeleton was discovered within a sealed Iron Age sarcophagus

The sarcophagus was uncovered in an Italian necropolis that had seemingly been undisturbed by grave robbers

The body, sarcophagus, and surrounding funerary items all paint a portrait of an affluent figure in a region of pre-Roman Italy that hadn’t previously been considered of social or political significance

Too often, archaeologists will discover a tomb that could offer a peek into the past, only to discover that it was ransacked centuries ago by grave robbers seeking treasure to make a quick profit.

Which is why, when the archaeological team of the Bisenzio Project came across a

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at their namesake location that had been untouched by looters, they knew they had found something remarkable.

A 2024 dig at the Bisenzio site, located on Mount Bisenzo in Italy, revealed a collection of tombs dating back to

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, specifically the 7th century BC to the late 6th century BC, according to a report in

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.

The article notes that “particular interest was drawn to a group of graves located in an area protected by a partially preserved stone enclosure,” as it contained an exceptionally well-preserved stone sarcophagus, whose surrounding funerary items suggested the nobility of its occupant and their descendants.

The

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upon discovery. The team, led by Italy’s National Research Council, Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences researcher Andrea Babbi, opened it to discover fully preserved skeletal ********.

That degree of preservation, they note, allows the team to conduct “osteoarchaeological, isotopic, and archaeogenomic analyses” on the deceased, offering insights into the life of not just the person ******* in that sarcophagus, but that of the occupants of Bisenzio as a whole during that *******.

Even before these analyses are undertaken, they feel this discovery alone paints a portrait of the area as “an important aristocratic center that thrived during the Orientalizing and Archaic periods,” as opposed to earlier theories, which had suggested they area was “less significant.”

Beyond analyzing the body, the funerary items and other objects found in the necropolis will also be used to determine what economic and political relations were like between Bisenzio and other nearby regions, indicated by signs of trade. The Bisenzio Projects feels their discoveries “indicate that this settlement was not isolated, but actively participated in long-distance exchange networks” with other pre-Roman areas of

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