eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Archaeologists unearth ancient Roman burials beneath bustling tourist destination

Nypost · · 607 words · By Fox News
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/science/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-roman-buria…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 4
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
“Archaeologists have uncovered ancient Roman graves beneath a thriving Adriatic city”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Fox News, GreekReporter, Arkeonews) report the discovery of ancient Roman graves in an Adriatic city (Zadar, Croatia).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apollonia (Ancient Greek, Koine Greek: Ἀπολλωνία; demonym: Ἀπολλωνιάτης, Apolloniates; Latin: Apollonia) was an Ancient Greek trade colony which developed into an independent polis, and later a Roman …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollonia_(Illyria)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Perast (Montenegrin: Пераст) is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro. It is situated a few kilometres northwest of Kotor and is noted for its proximity to the islets of St. George and Our Lady of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perast
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Via Claudia Augusta is an ancient Roman road, which linked the Po Valley with Rhaetia (encompassing parts of modern Eastern Switzerland, Northern Italy, Western Austria, Southern Germany and all …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Claudia_Augusta
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“The graves were found in the Relja district of Zadar, a coastal city in Croatia.”
CORROBORATED
The location in the Relja district of Zadar, Croatia, is explicitly mentioned by Fox News and Arkeonews.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Duklja (Serbian Cyrillic: Дукља; Greek: Διόκλεια, romanized: Diokleia; Latin: Dioclea) was a medieval South Slavic state which roughly encompassed the territories of modern-day southeastern Montenegro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duklja
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tourism in Croatia (Croatian: Turizam u Hrvatskoj) is a major industry and economic sector of Croatia and its coastal inhabited islands along the Adriatic Sea. It has historically represented a large …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Croatia
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White Croats (Croatian: Bijeli Hrvati; Polish: Biali Chorwaci; Slovak: Bieli Chorváti; Ukrainian: Білі хорвати, romanized: Bili khorvaty), also known simply as Croats, were a group of Early Slavic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Croats
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“A post shared by the University of Zadar’s Department of Archaeology indicated the necropolis dates from the first century B.C. and the fifth century A.D.”
CORROBORATED
GreekReporter and Arkeonews both attribute the dating (late 1st century BC to 5th century AD) to the Department of Archaeology at the University of Zadar.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of present-day cities by the time period over which they have been continuously inhabited as a city. The age claims listed are generally disputed. Differences in opinion can result from…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_continuously_in…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Zadar (Croatian: Sveučilište u Zadru, Latin: Universitas Studiorum Iadertina) is a public university located in Zadar, Croatia. The university in its present form was founded in 2002…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Zadar
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zadar (US: ZAH-dar, Croatian: [zâdar] ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, pronounced [ˈdzaːra]; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadar
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Across the wider Relja area, including a major shopping center and various landmarks, archaeologists have uncovered 3,000 graves, according to the department.”
CORROBORATED
The figure of 3,000 graves in the Relja area is reported by multiple sources including GreekReporter and Arkeonews.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arbanasi (Arbanasi: Arbëneshë) is an ethnic community in and around the city of Zadar in the northern Dalmatia region of Croatia, who are of Albanian ethnic origin. They are traditional speakers of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbanasi_people
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Archdiocese of Zadar (Latin: Archidioecesis Iadrensis; Croatian: Zadarska nadbiskupija) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic church in Croatia. The diocese was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archdiocese_of_Zadar
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White Croats (Croatian: Bijeli Hrvati; Polish: Biali Chorwaci; Slovak: Bieli Chorváti; Ukrainian: Білі хорвати, romanized: Bili khorvaty), also known simply as Croats, were a group of Early Slavic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Croats
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Around 15 ancient burials were found at the site, said Igor Borzić, a professor at the University of Zadar.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about 15 burials at a particular site attributed to Professor Igor Borzić is found in one web search result; other sources discuss the larger necropolis of 3,000 graves.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Battle of Gospić (Serbian: Битка за Госпић, Croatian: Bitka za Gospić) was fought in the environs of Gospić, Croatia, from 29 August until 22 September 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gospić
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The medieval period in the history of Serbia began in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to the Balkans, and lasted until the Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second half of the 15th c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia_in_the_Middle_Ages
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White Croats (Croatian: Bijeli Hrvati; Polish: Biali Chorwaci; Slovak: Bieli Chorváti; Ukrainian: Білі хорвати, romanized: Bili khorvaty), also known simply as Croats, were a group of Early Slavic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Croats
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“In the first and second centuries A.D., cremation was dominant”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Zadar's economy and general religious views on cremation, but does not specifically confirm cremation was dominant in Zadar during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Zadar's economy revolved around the sea, fishing and sea trade in the first centuries of the Middle Ages. Thanks to saved Antique ager, adjusted municipal structure and a new strategic position, it be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadar
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the Hindu faith, cremation is the dominant funerary practice. This practice comes from beliefs about the soul and body. Members of the Hindu faith believe that souls are not attached to a single bo…
https://eirene.ca/articles/major-religions-cremation
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — First page of “Cremation vs. Inhumation: Modeling Cultural Changes in Funerary Practices from the Mesolithic to the Middle Ages in Belgium Using Kernel Density Analysis on 14C Data” PDF Icon.
https://www.academia.edu/47739320/Cremation_vs_Inhumation_Mo…
info
“By the second century, inhumation, or body burials, “became increasingly common.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided mentions inhumation becoming common in Britain, but does not provide specific evidence for the trend in Zadar during the 2nd century AD.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the 20th century, roads became more important than sea routes, but Zadar remained an important traffic point. The main road along the Adriatic passes through the city. In the immediate vicinity is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadar
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The live talks at this TEDxNorrkölping event have "plasticity" in c...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-swZaKN2Ic
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Burials Until the 2nd AD cremation was the predominant ritual in Britain, only later when inhumation became more common, burials became more monumental with masonry structures.
https://www.academia.edu/31084412/To_what_degree_were_wester…
info
“Key finds include a burial that may predate Roman Zadar, likely from the prehistoric Liburnian period”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim regarding a prehistoric Liburnian burial is mentioned in one specific web search result reporting on the site.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Around 15 ancient burials were found at the site, said Igor Borzić, a professor at the University of Zadar.Key finds include a burial that may predate Roman Zadar, likely from the prehistoric Liburnia…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/science/archaeologists-unearth…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It was the first Liburnian site to be found to have the traditional burial tumuli as well as a flat necropolis, which differs from the nearby Bronze Age burial mounds.[7] It is also one of the few exa…
https://isaw.nyu.edu/library/blog/croatian-excavation-loewen
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Among the Liburnians, as well as among other ethnic groups throughout the first millennium BC, the area utilized for dwelling, or the defensive-residential area was sepa-rated from the area used for b…
https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/58575
info
“as well as “carbonized remains” from the second or third century A.D.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The mention of 'carbonized remains' from the 2nd or 3rd century AD appears in the same single source as claim 7.
help
“The site has yielded 20th-century artifacts from the Italian occupation of Zadar as well, said Borzić”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to support the claim regarding 20th-century artifacts from the Italian occupation at this specific site.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.