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Nail excavators who were preparing a plot of land for the construction of some homes in
Gaza have unearthed the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery, with at least 20 decorated graves. The discovery, which is located near the coast in the north of the Strip, has been described by the Ministry of Antiquities as the most important event in the area in the last decade.
The team, working on an Egyptian-funded construction project, ran into some of theold graveyard bricks, of considerable size. At that moment they stopped the work and called the archaeologists.
The director general of the Gaza Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jamal Abu Rida, told Archyde.com that the shape of the tombs found and their relatively ornate decoration are likely to belong to “high-ranking people” of the Roman Empire during the first century.
So far 20 burials have been located, but specialists expect to unearth a total of 80 among the 50 square meters which occupies the cemetery. Only two of the tombs have been opened, one of which contained skeletal remains and some clay jars. Unlike Muslim burials of later times, which are oriented north-south, Roman tombs are located from east to west.
Gaza is run by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has fought four wars with Israel since 2008. The conflict has paralyzed the local economy and the authorities often hire groups international to help excavate and preserve the archaeological finds.
The area is rich in antiquities, as it was an important place of trade for many civilizations, from the ancient Egyptians and the Philistines described in the Bible, through the Roman Empire and the Crusades. Among the ruins discovered are the remains of a siege by Alexander the Great and a Mongol invasion.
