A remarkably well-preserved Roman sarcophagus has been unearthed in Hungary’s capital, providing a uncommon window into the lifetime of the younger girl inside and the world she inhabited round 1,700 years in the past.
The sarcophagus was untouched by looters and sealed for hundreds of years. It was discovered with its stone lid fastened in place, secured by metallic clamps and molten lead. When researchers fastidiously lifted the lid, they uncovered an entire skeleton surrounded by dozens of artifacts.
“The peculiarity of the finding is that it was a hermetically sealed sarcophagus. It was not disturbed previously, so it was intact,” mentioned Gabriella Fényes, the excavation’s lead archaeologist.
Archaeologists with the Budapest Historical past Museum found the limestone coffin throughout a large-scale excavation in Óbuda, a northern district of the town that when fashioned a part of Aquincum, a bustling Roman settlement on the Danube frontier.
The coffin lay among the many ruins of deserted homes in 1 / 4 of Aquincum vacated within the third century and later repurposed as a burial floor. Close by, researchers uncovered a Roman aqueduct and eight less complicated graves, however none approaching the richness or pristine situation of the sealed tomb.
This picture launched by Budapest Historical past Museum reveals an intact Roman sarcophagus after its lid was lifted at an archeological web site in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 30, 2025.
Gabor Lakos, Budapest Historical past Museum through AP
Preserving with Roman funerary customs, the sarcophagus held an array of objects: two utterly intact glass vessels, bronze figures and 140 cash. A bone hair pin, a chunk of amber jewellery and traces of gold-threaded material, together with the dimensions of the skeleton, level to the grave belonging to a younger girl.
The objects, Fényes mentioned, have been “items given to the deceased by her relatives for her eternal journey.”
“The deceased was buried very carefully by her relatives. They must have really loved who they buried here,” she mentioned.
Anthropologists are actually analyzing the younger girl’s stays, which is anticipated to disclose extra about her age, well being and origins. However even now, the grave’s placement and abundance of artifacts provide sturdy clues.
The sarcophagus and its contents “definitely make it stand out,” mentioned Gergely Kostyál, a Roman-period specialist and coleader of the mission. “This probably means that the deceased was well-to-do or of a higher social status.”
This picture launched by Budapest Historical past Museum reveals researchers eradicating clay from an intact Roman sarcophagus at an archeological web site in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 30, 2025.
Gabor Lakos, Budapest Historical past Museum through AP
“It is truly rare to find a sarcophagus like this, untouched and never used before, because in the fourth century it was common to reuse earlier sarcophagi,” he added. “It is quite clear that this sarcophagus was made specifically for the deceased.”
Excavators additionally eliminated a layer of mud roughly 4 centimeters, or 1.5 inches, thick from contained in the coffin that Fényes hoped might comprise extra treasures.
Photos confirmed golden jewellery discovered on the web site, in addition to a glass flask, a glass jar and different intact objects after they have been collected. Photographs additionally confirmed archaeologists analyzing the cranium of the lady, alongside different stays. Different footage confirmed employees lifting the lid of the sarcophagus utilizing heavy equipment, after securing it.
This picture launched by Budapest Historical past Museum reveals employees lifting the lid of intact Roman sarcophagus for raise at an archeological web site in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 30, 2025.
Gabor Lakos, Budapest Historical past Museum through AP
For Fényes, the invention of the Roman sarcophagus shouldn’t be solely of scientific significance, however an emotionally resonant perception into the devotion displayed by folks in an historical time.
“I was very touched by the care and expression of love that we were able to get a glimpse of,” she mentioned. “Even now, I shudder to think how painful it must have been for the people at that time to bury this young lady.”
An archaeologist reveals golden jewellery discovered at an archeological web site the place an intact Roman sarcophagus was unearthed, Nov. 19, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
Bela Szandelszky/AP
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