1,500 Years Ago, a Girl Died in Mérida. Her Tombstone Is a Rarity for Archaeologists: They Know the Exact Day She Died

Archaeologists in Mérida uncovered a nearly intact marble Christian tombstone for a 10-year-old girl named Pascentia.

The inscription records her death on May 18 in the Roman calendar, likely in 509 or 519 CE.

The find came from emergency excavations near the Basilica of Santa Eulalia and also revealed other burials and older occupation layers.

It is notable for preserving an exact day of death from late antiquity and adding rare evidence of 6th-century Christian burials in Mérida.