Read, Watch or Listen

Seven fully preserved skeletons discovered in 2011 in a repurposed water well at the Roman city of Mursa, Croatia, have been identified as 1,700-year-old soldiers, researchers report. The taller-than-average men—four aged 18–25 and three 36–50—were robust yet showed early-life stress. Thrown in soon after death, several bore weapon wounds and blunt-force facial trauma, pointing to fighting around a 260 C.E. battle. Isotope tests suggest grain- and vegetable-heavy diets; DNA indicates nonlocal origins, including northern/Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.