“Unearthed Mystery: The 1,800-Year-Old Roman Grave Holding Secrets and a Dagger on His Back!”
Discovering The Man With A Dagger On His Back
As reported by El PaÃs, archaeologists with Tera S.L. oversaw the excavation of the fortress once it was detected. Initially constructed in the third millennium B.C.E., the site was abandoned around 2450 B.C.E. There was no other evidence of human activity at the site until the burial, which dates to the second or third century C.E.
The grave of the man with the dagger was discovered as archaeologists excavated one of the fortress’s defensive ditches. Thought to be between the ages of 25 and 35 years old, he was buried in a shallow grave with a pugio (a dagger favored by the ancient Romans) placed on his back.
What’s more, the man was buried face down — and his feet had been cut off.
Tera S.L.The ancient Roman pugio was still completely intact and sheathed.
Though little is known about the man, archaeologists were able to make some guesses about why he’d been buried in such a strange way.
For one, they believe that the man in the shallow grave was a soldier, because the placement of the dagger on his back seems deliberate. This suggests that he may have been executed and given a dishonorable burial, possibly for crimes of desertion or theft.
Assuming the man was a soldier, then archaeologists have a pretty good idea of where he was stationed at the time of his death. In the second and third centuries C.E., there was only one Roman legion in Hispania called the Legio VII Gemina. It was established in 74 C.E. and mostly provided escort and security services.
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