Three new sarcophagi were discovered in Elne (Pyrénées-Orientales) on Friday April 29, 2022, 16 days after the discovery of a first burial in the same place during water repair works, reports
L'Indépendant
.
These three new sarcophagi are a real surprise, the first having already been spotted in the 1960s by an amateur archaeologist.
From the same necropolis
According to experts, these limestone burials come from the same necropolis which dates from between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. These are the first sarcophagi found in the Pyrénées-Orientales, which makes them a discovery important.
They could contain the remains of important people of the time, these burials being generally reserved for the most privileged categories of the population.
With this new series of discoveries, the site's archaeologists now dream of finding the potential church that could be located nearby.
The three new sarcophagi should in turn be extracted like the first, although this decision is up to the master builders.
Paris
Paris: A mysterious lead sarcophagus discovered under Notre-Dame de Paris
Iraq: Briton detained for putting pottery fragments in his luggage
Perpignan
Occitania
Archeology
Story
Culture