Necropolis discovered in Milan: there is also the skeleton of a horse

In the course of excavation work for the construction of the new M4 line in Milan, a necropolis has been discovered: in fact, more than 250 skeletons, belonging to burials from different eras, have been found near the construction site for the Sant’Ambrogio Station of the Lombard capital’s subway, in front of the Basilica of San Vittore al Corpo.

In addition to these skeletons, we were faced with what archaeologists consider to be the first case of equine burial found in Milan: the Cooperativa Archeologia, whose head is archaeologist Giuliana Cuomo, unearthed the skeleton of a horse. “An unusual fact,” explains the superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan, Antonella Ranaldi, “which raises questions about why it was in this very area where there were prized tombs. Along with the skeleton, we did not find anything else, and so the question remains. If they dedicated a burial to him in this area it surely must have belonged to some important personage.”

With reference to the human skeletons, the superintendent added, “They are fundamental for the reconstruction of Milan’s history. Some discoveries are extremely interesting, for example, the first case of tuberculosis. Right here, in fact, we found a spine with the typical lesions of tuberculosis. In the mass graves we have found skeletons with signs of bruised head injuries, and we think these are executions. It will all help us a lot in reconstructing history because the bones sometimes tell different stories from the texts or implement what the texts maybe don’t say.”

The first phase of excavation has ended and all the finds have been removed from the site to be catalogued and studied.

Source: Repubblica - La Stampa

Necropolis discovered in Milan: there is also the skeleton of a horse

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.