Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered the 2,500-year-old tomb of a pre-Roman warrior prince along the country’s Adriatic coast, shedding new light on the Piceni, an ancient civilisation that left behind very few written records.The royal burial was found in Sirolo, a small town on Italy’s eastern coast. It is part of a large sixth-century BC burial complex that experts believe belonged to the ruling elite of the Piceni, also known as the Picentes. The discovery was announced on July 1 by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Provinces of Ancona, Pesaro and Urbino, Live Science reported.The Piceni lived in the region during the sixth century BC and shared their northern border with the Etruscans. Because they left little written evidence, archaeologists have relied mainly on excavations to understand their history and culture.The newly discovered burial follows the discovery of another princely tomb in the same cemetery in 2020. That earlier grave contained an iron-wheeled chariot, weapons and a helmet. The latest excavation has now revealed another high-status burial.At the centre of a large circular wooden enclosure, archaeologists found the grave of an adult man buried with a wooden two-wheeled chariot, known as a currus. The chariot had been placed intact beside him around 2,500 years ago.The man was also buried with a helmet, an axe and several bronze vessels covered with ceramic lids. The vessels contained organic remains, which researchers believe could be traces of a funeral feast or food offerings placed for the afterlife.Next to the warrior prince’s grave, archaeologists uncovered the burial of a woman. She was buried with textiles, shoes and several fibulae, ancient metal pins used to fasten clothing and burial garments. A large fibula with a piece of amber was found on or near her head, which may have been part of her hairstyle or headdress.The woman’s burial is located close to the famous Queen’s Tomb in the Pini necropolis. That tomb, discovered in 1989, contained the remains of a Piceni woman buried with two chariots, two mules and many personal belongings.While royal burials have been found in the Sirolo area before, this newly discovered cemetery stands out because of its design.Earlier Piceni burial grounds were usually surrounded by a ditch, marking a symbolic boundary between the living and the dead. However, this cemetery was enclosed by a wooden palisade instead. It was also built on a small hill, which researchers believe may have highlighted its importance and symbolic value.The first time archaeologists have identified an entire aristocratic nucleus of the Piceni.
