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Unknown Roman

About

The late antique burial chamber with sarcophagi found during protective archaeological research in 2014 at the Ad basilicas pictas site consists of a square dry wall preserved at the level of one row of stones, which surrounds a square space. Two sarcophagi were placed inside the chamber, while the spatial arrangement suggests that a place was planned for another sarcophagus that was never placed. June's sarcophagus, oriented east-west, made of gray bituminous limestone presents a simple undecorated chest with a rounded lid without plastic accents. Inside the sarcophagus was found an intact skeleton of an adult without grave goods. The northern sarcophagus, also oriented east-west, is a simple undecorated sarcophagus with a lid in the form of a roof on two sides with corner acroteria. The form represents the usual type of Salonitan sarcophagus made of local limestone, such as were continuously produced in Salonitan workshops. The sarcophagus was found unopened and sealed, and inside it were the skeletons of two adults without grave goods. In contrast to earlier ancient sarcophagi, which were mostly larger in size and decorated with figural or plant motifs, in the early Christian period anepigraphic and undecorated specimens predominate. The early Christian burial rite is complicated by the lack of grave goods. The burial chamber with sarcophagi is only a part of the late antique cemetery distributed on the Ad basilicas pictas site with different types of burials. Burial in sarcophagi suggests that the deceased belonged to a more immune stratum of the population.