An ancient sarcophagus that had lain in the ground for 1.7 thousand years was opened in Hungary.

Archaeologists from Hungary have uncovered a Roman sarcophagus that had lain underground for about 1,700 years. This was reported on November 21 by the Associated Press (AP).

It is specified that the specialists of the Budapest Historical Museum found in a limestone sarcophagus a fully preserved skeleton of a young woman, as well as the remains of clothes embroidered with gold threads. Numerous artifacts were found inside, including two whole glass vessels, 140 coins, bronze figurines, amber jewelry and a bone hairpin.

"The peculiarity of the find is that it was a hermetically sealed sarcophagus. It had not been disturbed before, so it remained intact," explained Gabriella Fenes, the excavation's lead archaeologist.

An anthropological study of the remains will help establish the woman's age and health status, as well as reveal her identity. A layer of earth was also extracted from the sarcophagus, in which scientists expect to find additional decorations.

Fenes noted that the sarcophagus was protected by metal clamps and molten lead, which made it possible to preserve its contents from possible plunder. According to her, the thoroughness of the funeral speaks of deep love and respect from the relatives of the deceased.

According to the agency, the excavations took place in the Obuda area of Budapest, where in the III century there was a Roman settlement at the camp of the legionaries of the province of Pannonia. In addition to the sarcophagus, the archaeologists also discovered a Roman aqueduct and eight other graves.

Earlier, on November 19, in Mexico, researchers discovered a large-scale structure among the ancient Maya, which, as it has now been established, was a cosmogram — a geometric map of the universe. New data show that the 3,000-year-old structure was used for collective observations of the sky and simulated the structure of the world.

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