A touching embrace that emerges from the archaeological excavations of Piazza Costa in Fano, in the province of Pesaro Urbino.
The resurfaced skeletons could be those of a mother holding her baby to her breast and date back to the Early Middle Ages.
"We are certainly in the presence of an adult with a child, and from the first information provided by the anthropologist of the company in charge of the excavations, the adult subject actually appears to be a woman, although to be certain that it is the mother it would be necessary to carry out analyzes of the DNA of both remains", Ilaria Venanzoni, archaeologist of the Superintendency of Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro Urbino, explains to ANSA.
"In any case - he adds - it is plausible that a family member is holding the child."
A child who seems to have fallen asleep in an eternal sleep, under the protective gaze of what we now like to imagine was his mother.
"The burial - the expert continues - has no grave goods, so it is difficult to date the discovery precisely, but on a stratigraphic basis we can say that it is certainly early medieval, therefore dating back to between the 6th and 10th centuries AD".
"Recently - recalls Venanzoni - two others have resurfaced near this tomb, with as many newborns or fetuses, buried individually, also without grave goods".
Remains that have resurfaced following the resurfacing work and underground services in the square, "we are in an area close to via Arco d'Augusto, which follows the route of the city's decumanus maximus", underlines the archaeologist who adds: "in this area, excavations in the past had identified Roman remains perhaps belonging to a domus or a spa facility, it remains to be seen whether we are in the presence of a single building".
"Also in medieval times, in the same area - concludes the expert - a church dedicated to San Daniele was built and then also a convent attached to the church".
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