The latest season of excavations in Gazzo Veronese near Verona, northern Italy, discovered a former Roman road and numerous cremation graves at a Roman cemetery.
The archaeologists focused their excavation effort on the ancient Roman road that lead from Hostilia in Verona to Trento and further to all’Oltralpe. The road was never investigated by excavations so the team of archaeologists from Culture Department and University in Verona needed to establish the topography, technical details and chronology of the structure. What they additionally discovered was a necropolis on both sides of the Roman road.
Excavations revealed 12 cremation burials, some of which were enclosed by roof tiles or within amphorae. The graves were dug in two parallel rows and served the local population. Within the graves ceramic cups, oil lamps, coins, a checker game token and a pair of golden earrings were found. The human remains are scheduled for further bioarchaeological study. The road was located in a way to take advantage of small hills that were present in the ancient landscape in order to cross through then-existing marches in the area. The ancient route followed the left bank of the Tartaro river from Ostiglia to the present area near Ronchetrin. The road itself was built in form of a 10-metre wide rampart formed with sand and gravel. Its construction dates to 1st century BC.
(after Verona Sera)