Since the renovation of the Via Laietana began, Roman and medieval archaeological remains have been appearing all the time. The most recent was a Roman tomb with an adult corpse.
Specifically, the discovery was made in the Antoni Maura square while the works continue to advance in their scheduled phases.
In view of the recent discovery, the archaeological service of Barcelona proceeded to study the remains of the adult corpse. They indicated that the remains date back to the 5th century AD and were buried in the middle of the Roman period.
The remains are in a good state of preservation, although the lower part of the legs and a fragment of the right arm are missing.
Roman tomb found in Via Laietana
It was also confirmed that in order to have a more detailed analysis, the remains will be transferred to a specialized laboratory. Based on the size and thickness of the remains, it is estimated that the corpse could be between 35 and 60 years old.
Parallel to the work, archaeologists from the Municipal Service are working to carefully unearth the bones.
The most curious thing about the finding is that the remains were found with a piece of a coin near the mouth.
According to Greek and Roman tradition, this coin was a gift to the ferryman Charon, to whom it was to be given to allow the deceased access to the afterlife.
For his part, David Martínez, manager of the Històries de Barcelona Twitter profile, states that the place where the remains were found was Pont de la Parra street, which at the time disappeared during the first decade of the last century due to the construction of the Via Laietana.
Just at the end of the road at the confluence with the Sant Joan stream, was the estate of the Marquès de Sentmenat, a large 16th century house filled with gardens. Due to the urbanization of Via Laietana and Antoni Maura square, the estate disappeared.
Right on the same street was located another iconic building: the convent of Sant Joan de Jerusalem in whose church was buried Pau Claris (1586-1641), who was president of the Generalitat.
The Meridiana and Via Laietana road works
Since the beginning of the year, the Barcelona City Council gave the green light to the continuation of the pedestrianization and redevelopment works of these two streets of the Catalan capital.
The sections that were approved were those of Plaça Antoni Maura and Passeig de Colom (on Via Laietana), and those of Felip II and Fabra i Puig (on Meridiana).
The municipal authority indicated that the works are intended to provide more space for bicycle and pedestrian traffic, as well as to reduce motor vehicle traffic and favor green areas.
