Archaeologists have uncovered the skeleton of a young Roman man who died while hiding in a large clay storage jar approximately 1,600 years ago. The discovery was made on August 10 in the ancient city of Deultum, located in present-day Bulgaria.
Researchers believe the individual was attempting to escape an invading force that set fire to the city. Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences stated that the man was found crouched inside a pitos, a large storage jar, with his knees drawn up to his chin. He was clutching an iron knife in his right hand and had a second, smaller knife on a ring, though Vagalinski noted he was not a warrior.
The team suspects this attack was one of several by Germanic groups or Huns on Deultum around 400 AD, a period of intense pressure on the Roman Empire. The man's death went unnoticed for centuries, as the defensive tower he hid in was subsequently damaged by fire and rubble. Survivors likely did not discover the jar, and when a new floor was built, the tower was flattened and sealed, preserving the jar and its occupant.
Deultum was a Roman colony in the province of Thrace, founded by Emperor Vespasian around 70 AD and settled by retired soldiers. It was a prosperous town with amenities such as baths and defensive walls. By the late 300s, the city had become more heavily fortified in response to approaching enemies. Archaeological evidence suggests new walls were constructed after major raids between 270 AD and the early 300s. Vagalinski's team believes the young Roman perished during one of the repeated raids in the following century.
"There are traces of a strong fire, probably caused by an enemy attack, Deultum was attacked repeatedly in the 4th-6th centuries," Vagalinski stated on Facebook. "He made no attempts to get out, he probably suffocated in the fire. From now on, we can say that the skeleton is that of a young man, but we will know more after the anthropological analysis."
The clay jar was a common container for food, wine, or oil and was not typically used as a coffin, making the discovery of a person inside highly unusual. This suggests that either no one knew the man was in the jar, or no one was able to free him.
In addition to the knives, the excavation yielded remnants of a belt, the victim's skull, and several intact bones. The crouched position of the remains within the jar indicated the man was attempting to hide in fear, rather than being in a typical burial posture.
Evidence found around the jar, including ash, charcoal, blackened walls, melted glass, coins, and burned animal bones, suggests the fire had already begun when the man sought refuge. The site of the tower was later covered with debris, including fallen roof tiles and rubble, before a replacement tower was constructed. The surviving lower portion of the storage jar was approximately three feet wide at its base, consistent with large Roman containers that could hold over 260 gallons of liquid or food.