Well preserved sarcophagus found in city’s centre

Roadworks in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, lead to discovery of seven  sarcophagi dating back to the 4th century AD of which one was in perfect state of preservation.

The 4th century sarcophagus (by Tamino Petelinšek)

Construction workers discovered the sarcophagi while doing road reconstruction at the Gosposvetska Street. All but one were badly damaged, if not completely destroyed. Several broken pieces of sarcophagi have also been found. Archaeologists decided to open the well preserved sarcophagus at the site. Archaeologist found a skeleton with no other item inside. Archaeologist Martin Horvat who supervised the operation, stated that the sarcophagus was from 4th century, a period when Christianity was dominant in the area, which means that the custom of putting items along the deceased person had already been abandoned. Archaeologists believe that there had been around 20 sarcophagi or more under Gosposvetska Street. Some of them were destroyed during the installation of water mains in 1948. The site at the Gosposvetska Street was an ancient necropolis used during the Roman times when Ljubljana was called Emona.

(after Tamino Petelinšek & Slovenian Press Agency)

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