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Archaeologists involved in a two-year-long excavation project at the site of a planned solar energy plant ancient city of Tarquinia, north of Rome, have unearthed an ancient Roman necropolis containing 67 skeletons buried in 57 ornate tombs.Early testing suggests the tombs and their occupants date back to the second through fourth centuries AD.This cemetery was undoubtedly reserved for wealthy and powerful Roman elites. The well-preserved skeletons were dressed in gold jewelry and fancy leather footwear, and their tombs appear to have been designed to resemble the architecture of their earthly homes (smaller in scale)...Although the region is known for such...

An intact Etruscan tomb, complete with sarcophagi, a full array of grave goods and a mysterious marble head, has has been brought to light in the Umbria region of Italy, in what promises to be one of the most important archaeological findings in recent history. Dated to the end of the 4th century B.C., the burial site was found by a farmer who opened a void in the earth while working with his plow in a field near Citta della Pieve, a small town some 30 miles southwest of Perugia... Dated to the end of the 4th century B.C., the...

Found in Tarquinia, a hill town about 50 miles northwest of Rome, famous for its Etruscan art treasures, the 2,600 year old intact burial site came complete with a full array of precious grave goods. "It's a unique discovery, as it is extremely rare to find an inviolate Etruscan tomb of an upper-class individual. It opens up huge study opportunities on the Etruscans," Alessandro Mandolesi, of the University of Turin, told Discovery News. Mandolesi is leading the excavation in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendency of Southern Etruria. A fun loving and eclectic people who among other things taught the French...

A royal tomb in an Etruscan necropolis in central Italy has yielded fresh archaeological finds during a summer dig, researchers say. Tarquinia, one of the richest Etruscan sites in the Lazio region of Italy, is home to dozens of tombs, but researchers were only recently given permission to excavate the "Queen's Tomb" in detail, ANSA reported. Dating to the mid-seventh century B.C., the crypt is thought to have been a royal burial site although no remains have ever been found. Researchers uncovering the crypt say they are finding images and decorations found in other contemporary cultures, suggesting the ancient city...