Archaeologists excavating an ancient well in eastern Croatia have discovered the skeletons of seven men whose bodies were dumped there by accident. Experts believe the remains belong to Roman soldiers who fought at the Battle of Mursa in 260 AD.
The skeletons were originally discovered in 2011 during archaeological excavations ahead of the planned construction of a university in Osijek, known as the city Mursa during Roman Empire. Although the skeletons were intact, they were found in the well in different positions, including head down.
“All the people were presumably stripped of any valuables—weapons, armor, equipment, jewelry, etc.—before they were thrown into the well,” said the study's lead author. Mario Novaka bioarchaeologist at the Institute of Anthropological Research in Zagreb, Croatia, told Live Science via email.
All seven skeletons belonged to adult men, four of them were young adults and three were middle-aged, the researchers wrote in the study. Several of the men suffered injuries including blunt force trauma to the forehead, broken ribs and gunshot wounds before they died. In addition, a layer of new bone on the inside of the chest, often seen with infection or injury, suggests that all men likely suffered a lower respiratory tract infection before death.
Researchers radiocarbon dating the four skeletons date to the second half of the third century, and this date range corresponds to the only artifact recovered from the well: a Roman coin minted in 251 AD.
The composition of the group of skeletons, namely young and middle-aged men with severe injuries, is “almost identical to those observed in combat assemblages” in mass graves, such as the remains of soldiers from Grand Army of Napoleon– the researchers wrote.
Given the location of the mass grave at ancient Mursa, an important settlement near the Roman military frontier zone, the researchers concluded that the skeletons likely belonged to men who fought at the Battle of Mursa in 260 AD.
During “Crisis of the third century(235–284 AD) various people fought for leadership of the Roman Empire. The Emperor took part in the Battle of Mursa Gallienus and Roman general Simple-mindedwho tried unsuccessfully to usurp the throne. Researchers have suggested that the people in the well may be supporters of Ingenius, since historical sources claim that Gallienus showed no mercy to the defeated army.
Further analysis of male DNA showed “high genetic diversity,” according to the study, which is “consistent with historical accounts of late Roman armies, which often included ethnically diverse groups such as the Sarmatians, Saxons, and Gauls.”
Katherine Markleina bioarchaeologist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science that the researchers made a strong case for the military nature of the Moores mass grave.
“This research is critical to understanding the direct and brutal consequences of political instability in the third century,” Marklein said, and to understanding “how this instability affected populations in the provinces and along the Roman frontier.”
More work is planned on a second mass grave discovered in another well in Mursa, which is very similar to the burial in the new study, Novak said. “We believe these are also the remains of soldiers killed at the Battle of Mursa in 260.”
