Archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb in northern Iraq, dating back 2400 years, in the end or right after the collapse of the Achaemenid Empire conquered by Alexander the Great. The tomb contains remains of at least 6 people.

The skeletons in the tomb are in a state that does not allow the archaeologist to immediately identify how many people were buried inside the tomb. The state of the skeletons attests to the possibility that somebody robbed the tomb in ancient times. Among the finds discovered by the remains was a snake-headed  bracelet. This shape is said to have been popular in Achaemenid times. Other finds include a pair of bronze earrings and the remains of at least 48 pottery vessels, five of which are still intact.

The intact vessels consist of one bridge-spouted jar, three pitchers and one miniature jar. All were found near the skulls of the skeletons. Basing on ceramics finds and amount of metal objects archaeologists believe that the tomb did not belong to wealthy individuals. The experts also believe that the tomb was reused after 6 or more people were buried there. The period in which it was reused is dated to Early or Middle Islamic period (8th-17th century AD).

(after International Business Times, Michael Danti, Kyra Kaercher & Live Science)