Roman child's grave discovered in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

Archaeologists in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, have uncovered a Roman-era child's grave containing two well-preserved gold earrings and a bronze coin. The discovery was made during preventive excavations at a site designated for a residential building and parking complex.

The bronze coin has been identified as an antoninianus minted in Serdica (modern-day Sofia) during the reign of Emperor Aureliano, specifically dated to 274 or 275 AD. Researchers suggest the coin may have been part of a funerary ritual, potentially serving as a “Charon’s obol” to facilitate passage to the afterlife, though this remains a hypothesis.

The burial is part of a larger necropolis containing 135 funerary structures used between the late 2nd and 5th centuries AD. The site is located in what was once the Roman city of Augusta Traiana, a significant urban center in the province of Thrace.