Multidisciplinary study of human remains from the 3rd century mass grave in the Roman city of Mursa, Croatia

Multidisciplinary analyses of seven articulated adult male skeletons recovered from a reused well at Roman Mursa (modern Osijek, Croatia) indicate a mid-3rd century CE burial. Radiocarbon dating and an associated coin support this dating. Bioarchaeological assessment shows robust adult males with evidence of healed and perimortem trauma and other pathologies. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results suggest a mixed C3/C4-based plant diet with limited terrestrial animal and very limited marine protein. Ancient DNA reveals heterogeneous ancestries distinct from the local Early Iron Age population. The combined archaeological, isotopic, osteological and genomic evidence leads the authors to interpret the individuals as likely Roman soldiers and probable victims of a catastrophic event during the Crisis of the Third Century (most plausibly the battle of Mursa, 260 CE).