Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

What Archaeologists Found in That Strange Sarcophagus Sealed With Molten Lead

Archaeologists in Hungary have uncovered a Roman sarcophagus that has remained untouched for roughly 1,700 years.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Archaeologists in Hungary have uncovered a Roman sarcophagus that has remained untouched for roughly 1,700 years. They opened it, and given the current state of the world, it’s a little hard to tell if they’ve unleashed a curse or if things are just like this all the time now. Maybe things are so bad that the girls can’t even compete.

The Associated Press reports that the limestone coffin was found in the Óbuda district of Budapest during excavations led by the Budapest History Museum. In Roman times, this area formed part of Aquincum, a frontier settlement along the Danube River in the province of Pannonia.

Most Roman tombs discovered today have been looted, reused, or disturbed over the centuries. This one had been sealed with metal clamps and molten lead when archaeologists uncovered it.

Archaeologists Open Ancient Roman Sarcophagus Sealed Shut With Molten Lead

In movies, that’s usually a big sign that whoever sealed it definitely did not want it opened for serious reasons that should be respected. Unless you do want a curse or a mommy or something to pop out of it.

When the team opened the coffin, no such curse or money occurred. Instead, they found a complete skeleton along with dozens of knick-knacks left behind by relatives who likely expected the burial to remain untouched forever.

Inside the coffin were two intact glass vessels, bronze figurines, about 140 coins, an amber ornament, and a bone hairpin. Traces of gold-threaded fabric also survived the centuries. Together with the skeleton’s size, these items suggest the tomb belonged to a young woman. Roman burial customs often included objects meant to accompany the dead on their journey to the afterlife.

The sarcophagus was discovered in a neighborhood that had been abandoned in the third century and later turned into a cemetery. Nearby, archaeologists also found simpler graves and the remains of a Roman aqueduct, but nothing as elaborate as this sealed burial.

As for the woman buried in the sarcophagus, she likely belonged to a higher social class, as indicated by the artifacts she was buried with. The sarcophagus also seems to have been built specifically for her, which is unusual in later Roman centuries when older coffins were often reused.

Researchers are now trying to determine more about the woman, like her age, her origins, and her health, which obviously wasn’t great if she was in a sarcophagus, but the specific reason she was in there is something worth looking into.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Ed Sullivan (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images) The Comedian Ed Sullivan Said Flipped Him Off on Live Television (They Made Up Eventually)  3 minutes ago By Tony Alpsen

The Comedian Ed Sullivan Said Flipped Him Off on Live Television (They Made Up Eventually) 

Joan Rivers in the 1980s (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images) Joan Rivers Mortgaged Her Home to Make a Movie About Billy Crystal Getting Pregnant 11 minutes ago By Tony Alpsen

Joan Rivers Mortgaged Her Home to Make a Movie About Billy Crystal Getting Pregnant

VICTOR de SCHWANBERG/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES Why a California Startup Wants to Put Thousands of Mirrors in Earth’s Orbit 19 minutes ago By Luis Prada

Why a California Startup Wants to Put Thousands of Mirrors in Earth’s Orbit

Pixdeluxe/Getty Images Scientists Say Doing This More Often Will Make You Happier 20 minutes ago By Luis Prada

Scientists Say Doing This More Often Will Make You Happier

Mikroman6/Getty Images What Archaeologists Found in That Strange Sarcophagus Sealed With Molten Lead 20 minutes ago By Luis Prada

What Archaeologists Found in That Strange Sarcophagus Sealed With Molten Lead

Ben Stiller (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC) Ben Stiller Keeps Getting Mistaken for Another Comedy Superstar 29 minutes ago By Tony Alpsen

Ben Stiller Keeps Getting Mistaken for Another Comedy Superstar

Guido Mieth/Getty Images You Might Be Allergic to Your Boyfriend 53 minutes ago By Ashley Fike

You Might Be Allergic to Your Boyfriend

Kilito Chan/Getty Images Couples Are Having Threesomes With AI 53 minutes ago By Ashley Fike

Couples Are Having Threesomes With AI

NORIMA/Getty Images 4 Zodiac Signs Most Affected by the Pisces New Moon 53 minutes ago By Sammi Caramela

4 Zodiac Signs Most Affected by the Pisces New Moon

Screenshot: Bungie Marathon Update 1.0.0.4 Patch Notes Nerf UESC Enemies – Thermal Scope Changes & More 58 minutes ago By Brent Koepp

Marathon Update 1.0.0.4 Patch Notes Nerf UESC Enemies – Thermal Scope Changes & More

Add your account details

© Vice