Researchers have discovered a Roman-era sarcophagus, which is likely to have belonged to a prominent individual, at the site of a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery in Gaza, news agency Reuters reported. The cemetery was discovered last year in the northern Gaza Strip. The Gaza Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities announced the discovery of the sarcophagus on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
The word sarcophagus means a stone coffin. It is derived from two Greek words, ‘sarx’, meaning flesh, and ‘phagein’, meaning ‘to eat’. In imperial Rome, the word sarcophagus was used to refer to a large coffin. Now, sarcophagus is used as an archaeological term.
The site of the 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery is being supervised by a French team of experts. Last year, it was uncovered by construction workers on an Egyptian-funded housing project. According to a Reuters report, 90 individual and mass graves have been uncovered at the site so far.
The ministry believes the sarcophagus, which is made of lead, belonged to a high-profile figure from the era, the report said, citing a statement by the ministry. The sarcophagus has not yet been opened, the ministry stated. The sarcophagus will be placed in a protective wooden container and further studies will be conducted on it by Palestinian and international expert teams.
Opening the sarcophagus would await the arrival of an international metal expert, ministry spokesman Tareq Al-Af said, according to the report. The researchers figured out that the sarcophagus belonged to the Roman era upon discovering some clay jars and other belongings in the cemetery, all of which pointed to that era, and are estimated to be around 2,000 years old.
The cemetery in northern Gaza was located at the site of the old seaport from the Greek and Roman era, according to Af.
Gaza has been an important trading spot for many civilisations. Ancient Egyptians and the Philistines depicted in the Bible, and people from the Roman empire and crusades traded in Gaza. As a result, Gaza is rich with antiquities.
The remains of a siege by Alexander the Great as well as a Mongol invasion are some of the ruins discovered in Gaza.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has fought four wars with Israel since 2008, runs Gaza.
Due to the conflict, the local economy is crippled, and hence, authorities usually engage international groups to help excavate and preserve archaeological discoveries, the report said.