The 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery near the coast of the northern Gaza Strip contains 31 ornate tombs, with the local Antiquities Authority calling it the most important discovery of the decade in the area.
The team of archaeologists expect to uncover a total of another 80 such tombs inside the 50-square-meter (8,200 square foot) cemetery. The remains also include ruins from of the siege undertaken by Alexander the Great as well as traces of the Mongol invasion of the area. The site was discovered by accident by a construction team working on an Egyptian-funded housing project in the Gaza Strip.
Only two tombs in the Roman cemetery have been fully excavated so far, one of which contained skeletal remains and a few clay jars. Due to the shape of the tombs and their relatively elaborate decorations, researchers estimate that they belonged to high-ranking people in the Roman Empire in the first century AD.
Graves for Roman people who were buried were dug by professional grave diggers inside the city walls. Sometimes a half amphora was placed over the grave so that libations could be poured into it. The rich had their burial places as conspicuous as possible, with the hope that the inscriptions upon the monuments would keep alive the names and accomplishments of the dead.
The remains of poor people and slaves, were often unceremoniously thrown into shallow trench graves or common graves without coffins, located outside the city walls. Unlike later Muslim tombs that face north to south, Roman tombs face east to west.
“We have made several discoveries in the past, this is the most important archaeological discovery in the last 10 years,” Jamal Abu Rida, director general of the Gaza Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Reuters. Construction works stopped when the builders unearthed ancient bricks that were part of the cemetery; they immediately summoned archaeologists to investigate the finding.
The site, under the supervision of a team of French experts, was discovered by a team of builders working on a project funded by Egypt. The workers stopped digging when they removed large, old stones and called the archaeologists.
Sources:
1. https://www.ertnews.gr/eidiseis/politismos/romaiko-nekrotafeio-2-000-eton-anakalyfthike-sti-lorida-tis-gazas/
2. https://greekreporter.com/2022/02/23/siege-gaza-alexander-great-cemetery/