ART AND CULTURE.

Extraordinary discovery in Romania, perhaps the tomb of Attila was found "the scourge of God"

An extraordinarily rich tomb of a "golden warrior" was discovered during the construction of a highway in Romania. Scholars think it may be the scattered tomb of the leader of the Huns, Attila, the "scourge of God".

The tomb is filled with more than 100 artifacts, including weapons, gold-covered objects, and gold jewelry inlaid with precious stones.

Silviu Ene of the Bucharest Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology is the chief archaeologist investigating the tomb, which was discovered late last year during the construction of a highway near the city of Mizil, in southeastern Romania, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) from the Black Sea.

photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
We are in Mizil (Romania)
The remains of a "princely" tomb were found during the construction of a highway in Romania. The tomb of a warrior was found in one of the four archaeological sites unearthed during work in the south-east of the country, near Mizil. And it is perhaps a Hun warrior. The tomb dates back to the fifth century AD, when the region was controlled by a people known as the Huns.
photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
Could it be Attila?
The burial place of the leader of the Huns has always remained a mystery. We are talking about Attila, the king of the Huns, who in the fifth century contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. The tomb is also loaded with the treasures of a wealthy warrior and his horse.
photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
What history says
Historians say that the king of the Huns was buried under what was once a riverbed and that the slaves who dug the grave were later killed. This is so that they would not reveal the real burial place of the body but above all of its great treasures. At least according to Priscus a Roman diplomat who had contacts with Attila whose nickname was "scourge of God".
photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
A real treasure
The tomb is filled with more than 100 artifacts, including weapons, gold-covered objects and gold jewelry inlaid with precious stones, said Silviu Ene of the Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology of Bucharest, Romania. Ene is the chief archaeologist investigating the tomb, which was discovered late last year during the construction of a highway near the city of Mizil, in southeastern Romania, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) from the Black Sea.
photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
A vast archaeological site
"This tomb is of great importance because, in addition to the rich inventory, it was discovered at one site along with 900 other archaeological features (wells, dwellings and tombs)," the Romanian archaeologist said. The last archaeological finds at Mizil 's tomb included an iron sword with a gilded scabbard, a dagger, bundles of iron arrowheads, and ornate bone supports that were once mounted on a wooden bow. Archaeologists have also unearthed the remains of a golden saddle, a bronze cauldron.
photo Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
We will know more in the coming months
The ethnicity of the warrior found in Mizil is not yet known, but the rich funerary objects suggest that he belonged to the ruling class in the period of the Huns, nomadic knights originating in Central Asia. Perhaps to escape a famine during the fourth and fifth centuries they invaded and occupied the far east of Europe. In the coming months, the bones and artifacts will be cleaned, examined and put on display to the public, while the site of the tomb itself will be reconstructed from the highway project.
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