Sealed 1,700-Year-Old Roman Sarcophagus Opened in Budapest; 140 Coins and Woman's Skeleton Inside
In November 2025, archaeologists from the Budapest History Museum opened a sealed Roman sarcophagus dating back about 1,700 years in the Óbuda district of Budapest, Hungary. Óbuda was the site of Aquincum, a Roman city on the Danube frontier in the province of Pannonia.
The limestone sarcophagus was hermetically sealed with metal clamps and molten lead and had never been looted or reused. The team said it was made specifically for the deceased, which is rare for a fourth-century sarcophagus. Inside was the complete skeleton of a young woman, along with two intact glass vessels, bronze figures, 140 coins, a bone hairpin, amber jewelry and traces of gold-threaded fabric.
A Roman aqueduct and eight simpler graves were found nearby. A layer of mud about 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) thick inside the coffin has yet to be sifted. Lead archaeologist Gabriella Fényes and Roman-period specialist and co-lead Gergely Kostyál presented the findings, and anthropological examination of the remains is to follow.
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图中是匈牙利布达佩斯欧布达区的阿昆库姆古罗马遗址。Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, Szilas
