Roman-era sarcophagus unearthed in Gaza Strip

A Roman-era lead sarcophagus was uncovered this week at the site of a 2000-year-old Roman necropolis in the Gaza Strip. The necropolis is along the Northern Gaza coast and 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the sea.

The sarcophagus may have belonged to a prominent individual based on where it was found, the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' director of excavation and museums, Jehad Yasin, told CNN this week.

Yasin said the ancient Roman cemetery was discovered in 2022 "as excavations were carried out at the site in cooperation with Premiere Urgence Internationale and funded by the British Council."

Premiere Urgence Internationale, a French humanitarian organization, has collaborated on "Palestinian cultural heritage preservation" projects in Gaza under a program called INTIQAL.

The coffin was exhumed from the site to perform archaeological analysis for bone identification, which will take around two months, according to Yasin.

A team of experts in ancient funerary will unseal the coffin in the coming weeks.

While Gaza is a site of frequent aerial bombardment and a land, air, and sea blockade imposed by Israeli and Egyptian officials, the sarcophagus remains intact.

"The state of preservation of the sarcophagus is exceptional, as it remained sealed and closed," read a press release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

French and Palestinian archaeologists have uncovered 85 individual and collective tombs in the 3,500-square-meter Roman acropolis since its discovery last year, while 10 of them have been opened for excavation.

Beyond the rubble of the coastal enclave lay dozens of artefacts and burial sites from the Roman, Byzantine and Canaanite eras.
Last year a Palestinian farmer discovered the head of a 4,500-year-old statue of Canaanite goddess Anat while another Palestinian farmer discovered a Byzantine-era mosaic in his orchard.

In 2022 the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released its first Arabic archaeological guide titled "Gaza, the Gateway to the Levant." The guide charts 39 archaeological sites in Gaza, including churches, mosques and ancient houses that date back to 6,000 years.

The ministry expects more archaeological findings at the necropolis.

Further sarcophagi are likely to be uncovered in the following months, said Director Yasin.