ANCIENT ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN GAZA

Wed 19 July 2023:

A Roman-era lead sarcophagus was uncovered in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the second such discovery this year.

“A second lead sarcophagus was found during excavation works in a cemetery north of Gaza,” Jamal Abu Raida of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Gaza said.

“The sarcophagus belongs to dignitaries in the Roman era,” he added.

In February, Palestinian authorities uncovered a lead coffin in the same cemetery that was discovered north of Gaza last year.

“The sarcophagus will be transferred to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to conduct studies and research with the assistance of French and other international experts and archaeologists,” Abu Raida said.

Several other antiquities, including the first sarcophagus made out of lead, pottery jars, and glass vessels, had been unearthed in the cemetery before this discovery, according to Abu Rida.

Technical teams from the ministry have been working with foreign experts to analyze the cultural manifestations of the findings, Abu Rida noted.

In March 2022, the ministry discovered a 2,000-year-old cemetery covering an area of 4,000 square meters that was later found to include 125 tombs of different shapes and sizes, according to Abu Rida.

Palestinian authorities estimate that around 125 Roman-era cemeteries have been discovered in Gaza.

Gaza was one of the ancient cities of the world. It was ruled by the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Muslims.

Home to more than 2 million people, the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip, run by the Islamist Palestinian armed group Hamas, is one of the oldest regions known to history as a trade nexus for Arab merchants.