Vartholomio - Romaiika site - 2011

Vartholomio - Romaiika site. Christos Mantzanas (Z’ EPKA) reports on the excavation which took place during the construction process for the restoration of waterpipes within the city limits of Vartholomio. Romaiika was one of the sites excavated, located in the S of the village (figs. 1,2). Two tile-roof graves were found in Zakinthou St. (figs. 3, 4), one of which was well preserved.

Burial 1, which was oriented E-W (fig. 5), contained a single burial. The skeletal remains were disturbed and anatomically incorrect (figs. 4, 6), as the deceased individual’s skull was placed on his torso and his right thigh bone was placed on top of his left.  A pair of golden earrings were also found (figs. 7-9), and they contributed to the fact that the individual was a female, along with the fact that their height was estimated to be around 1,55 m.

The anatomical position was suspected to be deliberate, and that the deceased was placed inside the grave already dismembered or decomposed. This was suspected to be a case of a criminal, executed in plain site and then dismembered, which was a common practice during the Roman times.

[Entry created by E. Kourti]