Based on the coin found in the tomb, which includes an image of Minerva on one side and a horse head with the word “Romano” on the other, the tomb dates between 335 and 312 B.C.E. during the heyday of the Roman Republic. Researchers have begun the process of removing the bodies from the tomb, which will be sent to the laboratory for analysis and DNA testing to determine if they are a family. A paleobotanist also collected samples of pollen and plant material to help figure out the flora of the area when the tomb was constructed. The structure itself has been documented by a laser scan and will be sealed up once excavations are complete.
Neat, eh? How would you like to stumble over 2300-year-old tombs while doing some routine construction project? I would never feel the same about digging a hole again, that’s for sure.