11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

40 Skeletons in Giant Jars Found in the Corsica Necropolis

Archaeologists working on the French island of Corsica discovered around 40 ancient graves where persons were buried inside gigantic jars known as Amphora.

The place on the island of Corsica is known as a necropolis, which comes from the ancient Greek for “city of the dead.”

In the first millennium, Corsica was ruled by a number of distinct civilizations. While the objects discovered in the dig look to be Roman in origin, experts warn that they might have been reused by Visigoths or subsequent residents.

The find was uncovered near Ile-Rousse, a town on Corsica’s western coast, by archaeologists from the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP).

Ile-Rouse is a peaceful fishing hamlet that’s become something of a tourist draw,  but the excavation reveals more about the area’s ancient inhabitants.

It’s been occupied for at least 6,000 years, but ‘the archaeological indications of previous occupations were rare and fragmentary,’ INRAP said in a statement.

A dozen graves were discovered in the spring of 2019, but excavation in February and March unearthed dozens more with ‘considerable variation in architectural style,’ according to the institution.

Gianr Jars İNRAP
The jars and other materials are of Roman design, but its possible later inhabitants reused them

In the heart of town, researchers began excavating two 6,500-square-foot sites. Between the 4th and 7th centuries, they discovered amphorae, which were used to transport olive oil, wine, and other items across the Mediterranean from Carthage, now Tunisia.

The large vessels served a second purpose here, the institute said, as ‘receptacles for the deceased.’

Normally, an amphora was only used to bury children, but the researchers discovered that adults had also been entombed. In total, 40 people’s skeletons were discovered, buried between the third and sixth centuries.

City of dead corsica
Discovered at Île Rousse on the western coast of Corsica, all of the humans were buried with the deceased’s heads facing west.

During archaeological examinations done in advance of a planned building project, the necropolis was uncovered just behind Ile-parish Rousse’s church, the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Some of the graves were coated with terracotta materials similar to those used for roof tiling in ancient Roman construction, but more research is needed to understand more about the deceased’s identity.

The Romans did occupy Île-Rousse—then known as Agilla—during the era to which the jars have been dated, according to INRAP, although later inhabitants might have reused them after the Romans left.

Corsica, which served as a small but crucial outpost for anybody aiming to dominate Mediterranean sea channels, had a period of considerable instability in the first century. The island was ruled by the Carthaginians until 240 BC when the Romans took over. Agilla was called Rubico Rocega by the Visigoths around 410 AD it passed to the Visigoths.

It was thereafter ruled by the Vandals and Ostrogoths before being annexed by the Byzantine Empire in 536 AD.

‘While it was believed the area was largely deserted, the discovery of the impressively populated Corsica necropolis raises the possibility that population density in the area during the mid-first millennium was greater than had been imagined,’ the institute said.

Given that such necropolises were typically connected with buildings of worship, there might be a lot more to learn.

Source: 9News.com

Related Articles

Itbaraks in Turkic Mythology: The Human-Bodied, Dog-Headed Beings Who Defied Oghuz Khagan

5 July 2025

5 July 2025

In the mist-shrouded realms of ancient Turkic epics, there exists a race that haunts both myth and memory—the İtbaraks. These...

200 Feet to the Past: The Millennium-Old Mystery of the Himalayan Towers

8 May 2025

8 May 2025

In the remote and rugged landscapes of the Himalayas, a series of enigmatic structures known as the Himalayan Towers, or...

2800-year-old settlement discovered in Vadnagar, India

17 January 2024

17 January 2024

An excavation in Gujarat’s Vadnagar, about 900 km southwest of New Delhi, India, has found the remains of a settlement...

Copious Copper Supplies Made Cyprus a Trading Center in the Bronze Age

23 March 2023

23 March 2023

Cyprus was a surprisingly busy trading hub during the early period of international trade in the Mediterranean region. Its awe-inspiring...

Beautiful’ Water-Nymph Marble Statue Found in Amastris ancient city

8 September 2023

8 September 2023

Excavations in the ancient city of Amastris, located in the Black Sea province of Bartın’s Amasra district, have unearthed a...

Archaeologists in Iraq find 2,700-year-old wine press

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Stone bas-reliefs carved into the walls of an irrigation canal some nine kilometers (5.5 miles) long, and the remains of...

Medieval Weapon Chest Found on Sunken Medieval Flagship Gribshunden

20 April 2024

20 April 2024

An extensive exploration of the wreck of the royal flagship Gribshunden has unearthed a trove of new findings: new insights...

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

Archaeologists find a 3,000-year-old bronze sword in Germany

15 June 2023

15 June 2023

Archaeologists discovered a bronze sword more than 3,000 years old during excavations in the town of Nördlingen in Bavaria, Germany....

Genetic Analysis Reveals A Woman As The Highest-Ranking Individual In Copper Age Spain: ‘Ivory Lady’

6 July 2023

6 July 2023

According to a study published Thursday (July 6) in the journal Scientific Reports, the highest-status individual in ancient Copper Age...

World’s Oldest Place Name Signs

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

Throughout the history of the world, our interest and curiosity in ancient cultures and lives continue to increase day by...

Saudi shipwreck excavation reveals hundreds of 18th-century artifacts on sunken ship in the north Red Sea

25 February 2022

25 February 2022

Divers from Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Authority have discovered a shipwreck in the Red Sea from the 18th century filled with...

The first and largest astronomical observatory of the 6th century BC discovered in Egypt’s Kafr El-Sheikh

24 August 2024

24 August 2024

Archaeologists in Egypt unveiled the first and largest astronomical observatory from the 6th century BCE in the Buto Temple at...

More than 100 bronze mirrors found at Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound in Japan

3 October 2023

3 October 2023

Archaeologists in Japan have unearthed more than 100 ancient bronze mirrors from the Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound in Sakurai, Nara...

An exciting discovery in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites

11 September 2022

11 September 2022

It is aimed to reach new information about the traditions of the Hittite civilization with 249 new hieroglyphs discovered in...