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Scientists Analyze Ancient Skeletons Recovered from Croatian Well
Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 21, 2025 | editors / unattributed

Posted on 11/03/2025 7:59:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Live Science reports that analysis of the skeletons of seven men recovered from a well in eastern Croatia in 2011 suggests that they are the remains of Roman soldiers who fought in the Battle of Mursa in A.D. 260. "Presumably, all of the individuals were stripped of any valuables -- weapons, armor, equipment, jewelry, etc. -- before they were thrown into the well," said bioarchaeologist Mario Novak of the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb. He and his colleagues determined that all of the remains represented adult men, four of whom were younger and three who were middle-aged at the time of death. Injuries observed on the bones include blunt force trauma to the forehead, rib fractures, and puncture wounds. New bone on the inside of the rib cages of all the men could be a sign that they had respiratory tract infections. DNA analysis of the remains also supports the idea that the men were soldiers, since it was determined that they came from diverse genetic backgrounds. Carbon dating of bone samples indicates that they lived in the second half of the third century, which corresponds to a Roman coin recovered from the well that was minted in A.D. 251. The location of the well within the territory of ancient Mursa, and the carbon dating results, therefore suggest that the men may have participated in the battle between the emperor Gallienus and the military commander Ingenuus, who attempted to take his throne. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS One. To read in-depth about the Roman military, go to "The Road Almost Taken."

(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: borat; coins; croatia; epigraphyandlanguage; gallienus; godsgravesglyphs; ingenuus; mursamajor; romanempire; rome
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Skeletons belonging to Roman soldiers were discovered in a well in Osijek, Croatia.
Mario Novak et al., PLOS One
Mario Novak et al., PLOS One

1 posted on 11/03/2025 7:59:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 11/03/2025 7:59:48 PM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv

“military commander Ingenuus, who attempted to take his throne”

So he was disingenuous.................


3 posted on 11/03/2025 8:03:07 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

He didn’t start out that way, but Gallienus definitely dissed him.


4 posted on 11/03/2025 8:05:04 PM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv

All’s well that ends in a well. I bet one of those skeletons was him...................


5 posted on 11/03/2025 8:19:57 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

Ingenuus? Sounds like a Sith Lord name: Darth Ingenuus.


6 posted on 11/03/2025 10:00:48 PM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: SunkenCiv

To throw your enemy into a well means it was not your drinking well, but you were an invader and not 8ntending to stay the day even.

Sad. Might not have been fully dead either.

Why can we disturb these guys but not Jim at the local cemetery?


7 posted on 11/04/2025 6:35:54 AM PST by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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To: SunkenCiv

Well, at least they didn’t declare it to be a ceremonial facility. ;-D


8 posted on 11/04/2025 6:47:50 AM PST by GingisK
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To: SunkenCiv

9 posted on 11/04/2025 6:49:26 AM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
Why can we disturb these guys but not Jim at the local cemetery?

No family left to sue you. No other reason.

10 posted on 11/04/2025 6:49:34 AM PST by GingisK
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To: If You Want It Fixed - Fix It

It’s not possible to disturb them, they’re dead.


11 posted on 11/04/2025 7:39:33 AM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: GingisK

It’s the old “throw the vanquished enemies into the well” ceremonial site. 💀


12 posted on 11/04/2025 7:48:21 AM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Headlong into the Wishing Well
13 posted on 11/04/2025 8:05:03 AM PST by GingisK
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To: SunkenCiv

It certainly looks like a “No respect intended” incident.


14 posted on 11/04/2025 8:41:16 AM PST by GingisK
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