Unprecedented Roman public graves found under Vienna football

After the battle in the late 1st century, hundreds of bones were built in a football field in Vienna. This is an unprecedented discovery in Roman military history. Roman battle sites were found in Central Europe, where remains of these weapons, armor and ammunition were found, but the bodies of soldiers were cremated until the 3rd century, so the large-scale burial pits of this period were unique in archaeological records.

The discovery was conducted at the end of October 2024, when mechanical excavators were renovated at a sports facility in Vienna’s neighborhood and encountered human remains. They informed the police that these were not limited to the murders. Police reported the findings to the Office of the Federal Monument and the Vienna Municipal Archaeology Department. Excavations were subsequently carried out, revealing a large number of bones with relatively close bones.

At first, archaeologists were not surprised – the discovery was near the cemetery, where the medieval plagues in the area and the siege of the Second Ottoman Empire had many mass deaths – but in this area of ​​Vienna, Roman remains have not been found. As excavations progressed, it became clear that the density of burial was different from any large number of graves found in the city. In the area of ​​only 16.5 x 15 feet, there are at least 129 complete bones. The other bones that excavators shed from the pits increased the estimated number of objects to over 150 before construction stopped.

They did not rest in an organized manner. They stretch in various positions, the stomach and back, arms and legs, and their limbs are entangled with others. These bodies must have been thrown in a pit in a hurry, without the funeral that the Romans had particularly strictly observed.

More than one-third of the bodies have been analyzed. It turned out that they were both men between the ages of 20 and 30, and were in good health. Only a few people show any signs of infectious disease, and men’s teeth are largely free of cavity. Most of them are above 5’7″. Each bone shows at least one sharp or blunt force damage upon death. A wound at the tip of Lance has been found, and iron bolts of shells and swords have been found. A spear tip is still embedded in the pelvic bone of the bone. Multiple weapons and fatal injuries do not include collective execution. These people died in combat.

Carbon-14 dates reduced the death toll to 80 to 230 AD and other discoveries in the graves, most notably a carefully crafted barbed wire-inlaid barbed wire-inlaid barbed wire-inlaid barbed wire-inlaid dagger, narrow dates stretching through the early second century between the mid-century.

If the battle did take place early in the range, it would precede the construction of the Fortress of the Vindobona Legion. Before the construction of the large fortress of 6,000 soldiers built by about 100 Danube Rimes (the border line of the empire marked by the Danube), a small cavalry fort was built during the war between the Emperor Domitian and the Roman client or after the laziness of Quadi, Marcomanni and Marcomanni and the 91-91-92 miles of cavalry.

Artifacts in the pit, including nails from Kaliga (Hobnailed sandals), armor from the scales and cheeks of the helmet, indicate that the deceased was a Roman soldier, as inconsistent as this slapdash burial.

However, Hasenleitengasse discovered an initial hypothesis – which could rewrite the history of Vienna’s origins. The Roman Empire regulated funerals. During the period of about 100 hectares, this mainly means cremation. In this case, the fact that the human body is not buried is absolutely an exception, indicating a lack of time and resources after the event.

Urban archaeologist Martin Mosser said it was surprising given that the period between 50 and 120 AD was actually considered a relatively peaceful period. “However, there are some references in the written materials of the Danube (81-96) Danube War in the region, which we have conducted a closer study.” For example, in 92 AD, the Germanic community crossed the Danube border across the Roman Empire, and the entire legion was said to have been eliminated in the process. These losses were one of the triggers of Emperor Trajan (98-117) to expand the fortifications of the Danube on a large scale.

Hasenleitengasse Mass Grave provides the first physical evidence of the battle described in the source. The location of discovery near the center of today’s Vienna may be an important reason why Vindobona expanded from a small Roman military base to a legion camp. Therefore, the massive graves and the defeat by the Roman army would mark the beginning of the history of the city of Vienna.

It is impossible to rule out that some opponents may also be buried in a pit. Stable isotope analysis of dental enamels will reveal where they were born and grown up. DNA analysis, pollen analysis and thorough geophysical investigations will also be performed on the site.