Archaeologists excavating the site of a future farmers’ market in eastern Croatia have made an extraordinary discovery. Among the ancient Roman necropolis, dating back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE, they found a rare intact grave, undisturbed by time.

The grave contains one male skeleton and just two items: an iron object and a fragment of a bronze. This contrasts sharply with other graves in the necropolis, which held smaller glass bottles used for perfumes or oils, and ornamental brooches called fibulae. The individual was likely between 40 and 45 years old at death.

Vinkovci, now known as Colonia Aurelia Cibalae, was the birthplace of two Roman emperors, Valentinian I and his successor, Valens. The city's northern necropolis overlaps with the area where the future open-air market will be built. As Vinkovci City Museum director Hrvoje Vulić told Croatia Week, researchers plan to further analyze the remains for additional data.

This find is particularly significant because the majority of Roman graves in the region have been looted over time. The undisturbed nature of this grave provides an invaluable opportunity to study the life and times of a 2nd-century CE individual from Colonia Aurelia Cibalae, offering insights into daily life, burial practices, and social hierarchy during the Roman Empire.