Archaeologists working at a Croatian university campus have identified seven skeletons discovered in an ancient well as Roman soldiers who met violent deaths nearly 1,700 years ago. The discovery, published in PLOS ONE, offers unprecedented insights into the Crisis of the Third Century and reveals that the Roman Empire recruited warriors from across its vast territories. The soldiers likely perished during the Battle of Mursa in 260 AD, one of the bloodiest conflicts in the empire's turbulent history, when Emperor Gallienus fought against the usurper Ingenuus in what is now Osijek, Croatia.
The unusual burial site came to light in 2011 during routine excavations ahead of construction work at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University. Workers uncovered several ancient wells, one of which contained the complete remains of seven adult males stacked at different depths, reports All That's Interesting. The positioning of the bodies suggested they had been dumped into the well shortly after death, while their bodies were still fully fleshed rather than partially skeletonized. Radiocarbon dating and a coin minted in 251 AD found within the well confirmed the remains dated to the second half of the third century AD, perfectly coinciding with the Crisis of the Third Century that convulsed the Roman Empire for nearly five decades.
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The excavation site showing the well where multiple skeletons were found. (M. Novak et al./PLos ONE)
DNA Analysis Unveils Empire-Wide Military Recruitment
The true significance of the discovery emerged when researchers conducted ancient DNA analysis on the remains. Lead author Mario Novak and his team from the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb found that the soldiers came from remarkably diverse genetic backgrounds. None shared ancestry with the local Iron Age populations of Croatia, indicating they were recruited from far-flung corners of the Roman Empire. According to the study report, genomic testing revealed striking genetic diversity among the deceased, with each soldier belonging to distinct paternal haplogroups.
The genetic evidence indicated that these men had diverse origins: some showed ancestry consistent with northern and central European populations from regions like Denmark, Sweden, and Poland; others displayed genetic markers typical of eastern Mediterranean populations from western Anatolia or mainland Greece; while still others revealed connections to eastern European groups from the Pontic-Caspian region including modern-day Ukraine and western Russia. This extraordinary diversity strongly supports historical records documenting the Roman Empire's reliance on heterogeneous military recruitment and the integration of "foreign" groups into imperial forces.
One of the excavation stages of the well with several skeletons visible. (M. Novak et al./PLos ONE)
Evidence of Violent Combat and Soldier Characteristics
Physical examination of the skeletons revealed compelling evidence of their military status and violent deaths. All seven individuals were robust males aged between 18 and 50 years - precisely the age range of Roman soldiers documented in historical sources. Their average height of approximately 172.5 centimeters exceeded the regional average for males during this period by nearly four centimeters, matching the Roman army's recruitment standards that preferred soldiers between 1.70 and 1.77 meters tall. Their skeletal structures showed pronounced entheseal (area where soft tissue like tendons attach to bone) changes on upper and lower limbs, indicating intense, prolonged physical activity consistent with military training and service.
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Perimortem injuries on skeletal remains showing evidence of violent combat. (M. Novak et al./PLos ONE)
The evidence of violent death was unmistakable. Two soldiers displayed antemortem blunt force trauma on their frontal bones, wounds that had begun healing, suggesting they survived previous battles. The perimortem injuries were particularly revealing. One soldier suffered a puncture wound through his sternum, likely from an arrow or spear, alongside broken teeth and cuts on his arm and ribs from a long-bladed weapon such as a spatha. Another soldier bore a puncture wound on his hip, indicating he was struck from behind. These injuries demonstrated face-to-face combat scenarios alongside attacks from multiple angles, painting a vivid picture of chaotic battlefield conditions.
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The Battle of Mursa and Crisis of the Third Century
The researchers strongly believe these soldiers died during the Battle of Mursa in 260 AD, part of the Crisis of the Third Century that threatened to tear the Roman Empire apart. During this catastrophic period spanning roughly 235 to 284 AD, the empire struggled with foreign invasions, civil strife, and domestic rebellions. At least 50 different men claimed the imperial throne during these tumultuous decades, leading to devastating civil wars.
The Battle of Mursa witnessed allies of Emperor Gallienus fighting against supporters of Ingenuus, a Roman military commander who had revolted. Contemporary sources describe the battle as extraordinarily bloody, with fighting occurring outside the city walls of Mursa. The fact that the soldiers were dumped unceremoniously into a well rather than receiving proper burial rites suggests the overwhelming casualties made traditional funerary practices impossible. Novak told reporters that the team is currently studying another set of remains from at least 25 adult males found approximately 300 feet away, who were probably also victims of the same battle.
The isotopic analysis of carbon and nitrogen from the soldiers' bones revealed they consumed a mixed C3/C4-based vegetable diet with limited terrestrial animal protein and very limited marine protein - a diet consistent with standard Roman military rations. All seven individuals also showed evidence of active periosteal bone formation on their ribs, suggesting they suffered from respiratory infections during their final days, possibly pneumonia or tuberculosis that spread rapidly through military camps.
The Crisis of the Third Century would eventually end when Emperor Diocletian reorganized the empire two decades after the Battle of Mursa, splitting it into eastern and western divisions. However, for these seven soldiers from diverse backgrounds across the empire, death came during one of the darkest periods in Roman history. Their discovery provides rare physical evidence of the human cost of Rome's internal conflicts and demonstrates how the empire drew upon populations from across its territories to maintain its military might, even as that very empire teetered on the brink of collapse.
Top image: Skeletal remains of some of the seven Roman soldiers discovered in an ancient well at Osijek, Croatia, showing evidence of violent deaths during the Battle of Mursa. Source: M. Novak et al./PLos ONE
References
Novak, M., Yavuz, O.E., Cari, M., Filipovi, S., and Posth, C. 2025. Multidisciplinary study of human remains from the 3rd century mass grave in the Roman city of Mursa, Croatia. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0333440
Phys.org. 2025. Mursa's mass grave reveals diverse origins of Roman soldiers. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mursa-mass-grave-reveals-diverse.html
All That's Interesting. 2025. 1,700-Year-Old Skeletons Found In A Well In Croatia Have Been Identified As Roman Soldiers. Available at: https://allthatsinteresting.com/osijek-croatia-roman-soldier-skeletons
