Medieval Burials Uncovered in Central Rome

ROME, ITALY—Wanted in Rome reports that medieval burials were unearthed during utility work on the Via del Governo Vecchio in central Rome. The graves had been damaged by previous construction projects. The first burial contained the remains of a 25- to 30-year-old woman, and a 30- to 40-year-old man. The woman was buried with a shell in her hand. A bronze coin dating to the late eleventh or early twelfth century and shell fragments were also found in the grave. The second burial site consists of several graves set against a brick wall thought to be associated with the Church of St. Cecilia at Monte Giordano, which was built in A.D. 1123 and demolished in the early seventeenth century. Scallop shells with drilled holes found in these graves were typically worn as necklaces by pilgrims, suggesting that Christians who died while making a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica may have been buried here. To read about the grave of a presumed outlaw in eleventh-century Sicily, go to "Stabbed in the Back."