Archaeologists discover Roman-era tombs in Gaza strip

Palestinian archeologists have discovered four Roman-era tombs in the Gaza Strip, which points to the area's long history of settlement, agriculture, industry and trade.

As reported by the Middle East Eye, the four tombs date back 2,000 years and were discovered at a Roman-era cemetery on September 23 at a large archeological site.

“Field research efforts are still ongoing within the Roman cemetery, with the involvement of Palestinian experts and the participation of French archaeologists”, said Jamal Abu Reida, the Director-General of Antiquities at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The latest discovery, which makes it the first unearthing of a complete Roman cemetery in Gaza, brings the total number of found graves at the 4,000 square meters large site to 134, according to the ministry.

It has been reported that two of the coffins have been engraved with grape harvest motifs and dolphins swimming in water.

The Roman cemetery had been initially discovered in December 2022 by Egyptian bulldozers who were working on the construction of the New Rafah city, an urban project by Cairo aimed at offering a new city to the residents of Rafah, a city close to Egypt's border to Gaza. Its residents were forced to abandon their homes in recent years due to the increase in violence from the local branch of the Islamic State.