First-Ever Monumental Roman Tomb Unearthed in Albania

BULQIZA, ALBANIA—Albanian archaeologists made a surprising discovery near the city of Bulqiza after locals notified authorities about an unusual pile of stone blocks, Reuters reports. When a team from the Institute of Archaeology arrived to investigate the site in the village of Strikçan near the North Macedonia border, they identified the remains of a monumental Roman tomb, the only one ever uncovered in the Balkan country. Measuring 29 feet by 19 feet, the subterranean burial chamber is thought to date to the third or fourth century a.d., when the region was part of the Roman province of Illyricum. Once archaeologists entered the tomb, they uncovered an inscription written in Greek and Latin that records that a man named Gelliano was once buried within. Although the grave had been looted at least twice, researchers still retrieved objects such as knives, glass plates, and a piece of fabric embroidered with gold thread, indicating that Gelliano was likely a wealthy member of the upper classes. To read more about the country's archaeology, go to "Letter from Albania: A Road Trip Through Time."