Archaeologists have uncovered a rare mass grave beneath a soccer field in Vienna, revealing the remains of about 150 Roman soldiers. The discovery, made in the city’s southern Simmering district during renovations in October 2024.
A Battlefield Beneath The Turf
The skeletal remains—exclusively male—were found alongside fragments of armor, weapons, and other military gear, indicating that the dead had been Roman soldiers.
According to city authorities, the injuries sustained by the men were consistent with close-quarters combat, including lance, dagger, and sword wounds. The evidence points to a violent end during a battle likely connected to conflicts along the Germanic Limes, the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.
Rare Roman Inhumation In The Empire
The find is exceptional not just in scale, but in the burial practice it represents. Roman tradition in the European parts of the empire around 100 A.D. favored cremation over inhumation. As a result, intact graves from this period are rare.
“In the Roman Empire, there were strict burial rituals and precise rules that had to be observed even for the time after death,” said Kristina Adler-Wölfl, head of Vienna’s archaeological department.
“Since cremations were common in the European parts of the Roman Empire at the time around 100 AD, body burials are an absolute exception.”
Evidence Of Organized Combat
The condition and arrangement of the bodies suggest that the soldiers died in combat rather than from disease or other causes. “The injuries to the bones are clearly due to fighting,” stated Michaela Binder, bioarchaeologist with Novetus, the firm contracted to study the site.
She added: “From the arrangement of the skeletons, and since they are purely male remains, it can be ruled out that the site of the find is connected to a military hospital or the like, or that an epidemic was the cause of death.”
The soldiers averaged 5 feet 7 inches in height—slightly taller than the average Roman legionary—comparable to their Germanic adversaries.
Vindobona And The Frontier Wars
The burial site lies just miles from Vindobona, a key Roman military outpost that later became the core of modern-day Vienna. At its peak in the third century A.D., Vindobona housed thousands of Roman troops and supported a civilian population of around 20,000.
While written records describe frequent battles with Germanic tribes, this discovery offers the first physical proof of such combat near Vindobona. City officials speculate that the mass grave may mark the aftermath of a significant battle that led to fortifications being expanded in the area.
What The Bones Might Still Reveal?
Archaeologists are continuing to study the site, analyzing both the human remains and the associated artifacts, which include a dagger, pieces of armor, and shoe nails.
Researchers plan to conduct ancient DNA and isotope analyses to learn more about the origins, health, and life experiences of the fallen soldiers. These investigations may offer deeper insight into who these men were and how they lived before dying in the violent defense—or expansion—of an empire.
