'Hermetically sealed' Roman sarcophagus frozen in time for 1,700 years finally opened by archaeologists

Archaeologists have opened the lid on a rare, untouched Roman sarcophagus in Hungary - the first time it's been opened in 1,700 years.

The tomb, discovered by archaeologists with the Budapest History Museum, was found in Óbuda, a northern district of Budapest.

Óbuda was known as Aquincum in Roman times, serving as a major settlement located on the banks of the Danube River. The tomb was found in a 3rd-century burial ground, among the ruins of abandoned houses.

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Remarkably, the tomb hadn't been opened by looters since it was buried. Its stone lid was secured by molten lead and metal clamps.

Lead archaeologist Gabriella Fényes stressed the undisturbed nature of the findings in comments to The Associated Press. 

"The peculiarity of the finding is that it was a hermetically sealed sarcophagus," she said. "It was not disturbed previously, so it was intact."

Inside was a complete skeleton and dozens of artifacts, including two glass vessels, bronze figures and 140 coins.

Excavators deduced that the grave belonged to a young woman when they found a hairpin made of bone, amber jewelry and gold-threaded fabric.

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The items had been "given to the deceased by her relatives for her eternal journey," Fényes said.

"The deceased was buried very carefully by her relatives," she said. "They must have really loved who they buried here."

Fényes added that she was "very touched by the care and expression of love that we were able to get a glimpse of."

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"Even now, I shudder to think how painful it must have been for the people at that time to bury this young lady," she added.

Though archaeologists discovered eight other graves nearby, they were struck by the well-preserved condition of the woman's tomb.

Gergely Kostyál, a specialist in Ancient Rome and co-leader of the project, said the tomb's contents "definitely make it stand out."

"This probably means that the deceased was well-to-do or of a higher social status," he told the AP.

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"It is truly rare to find a sarcophagus like this, untouched and never used before, because in the 4th century it was common to reuse earlier sarcophagi," he added. 

"It is quite clear that this sarcophagus was made specifically for the deceased."

The grave also contained a thick layer of mud that may hold more treasures, Fényes said.

"I suspect we could find jewelry," she said. "We haven't found any earrings or other jewelry belonging to the woman, so I hope that these small items will turn up during the sifting of the mud."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.