Toys found after 1,800-year-old Roman child sarcophagus opened in Constanța

Toys, coins and amulets were found in a Roman-era child sarcophagus sealed with lead clamps at the necropolis of the ancient city of Tomis in Constanța, on Romania’s Black Sea coast. Archaeologists described the discovery as “extremely rare.”

Archaeologists from the Constanța National Museum of History and Archaeology in Romania found a sealed Roman-era child sarcophagus in the necropolis of the ancient city of Tomis. Tomis was located on the Black Sea coast, where the city of Constanța stands today.

The sarcophagus was uncovered about 1.6 kilometers from Tomis, beside the ancient road leading to the neighboring city of Histria. Made of stone and sized for a child, the sarcophagus had been sealed with lead clamps and mortar. Because of its fragile condition, it was opened in the museum’s controlled environment.

Ionian capital displayed at the entrance of the Constanța National Museum of History and Archaeology (archive)

Under the sarcophagus lid, archaeologists found the skeletal remains of a small child inside a remarkably well-preserved wooden coffin. The grave also contained toys, coins and protective amulets. Archaeologists have not yet determined the child’s age or sex; the finds are expected to shed light on burial rituals in the Roman city.

Archaeologist Constantin Băjenaru told Romania’s Agerpres news agency that he described the discovery as “extraordinary and extremely rare.” The Roman necropolis at Tomis was used during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.