"Monumental necropolis" of 200 ancient tombs unearthed by archaeologists in Italy

Italian archaeologists recently uncovered a "monumental necropolis" that appeared to honor an elite class of people thousands of years ago, provincial officials announced this month.

The ancient cemetery found in Trento, a northern Alpine city, includes at least 200 individual tombs, which experts believe date back to the early Iron Age, a pre-Roman period between the 9th and 6th centuries B.C.E., shedding new light on the history of the region. Excavators discovered the necropolis while carrying out restoration and development work on a historic building in the area, a project spearheaded by Trento's archaeological heritage office, said the city's provincial council in a news release unveiling what officials called an "exceptional" find.

Prehistoric flooding from nearby rivers likely helped preserve the sprawling grave site, effectively sealing the sediment and allowing the burial ground to stay remarkably intact over the course of millennia, the council said. Archaeologists unearthed graves filled with "grave goods," objects that in some cultures were traditionally buried with the dead as a sort of sacrificial gesture, as well as cremated human remains, about 8 meters, or around 24 feet, underground.