Archaeologists at the Western Necropolis of Heraclea Sintica have excavated a burial containing the remains of a woman of mixed ancestry.
She was found in the aftermath of her summer 2025 rescue dig under the guidance of Prof. Dr Lyudmil Vagalinski of NAIM-BAN, and it is likely that she was one of several individuals who lived in the last few decades when the region was still under Roman control.
Anthropological analysis estimates that she was between 35 and 40 when she died. Assoc. Prof. Dr Victoria Ruseva of IEMPAM-BAN, who analysed the bones, discovered symptoms of scoliosis and degenerative spinal illness that could have affected her bones and contributed to her chronic pain.
Nevertheless, the way her grave was constructed implies she had a respected position within her community. Constructed of precisely shaped stone blocks and sealed by heavy slabs, the tomb featured a lamp bearing the image of Eros and an elegant glass goblet — silent symbols of dignity, and maybe prosperity, in life and death.
The woman presented with features typical of those with mixed European and African ancestry, with pronounced African features, the study also found.
For Prof Vagalinski, this discovery reinforces what scholars already suspect about Heraclea Sintica: it was a vibrant and connected metropolis, not an isolated outpost. According to the inscriptions, settlers were drawn from far-flung parts of the Roman Empire, including North Africa.
This woman’s experience seamlessly wends her way into that larger web of commerce, migration and cultural exchange that connected three continents.
Coins in the grave dated her burial to the second half of the 4th century AD, making it one of the latest found in the necropolis.
Sources : Archaeologia Bulgarica
