Workers discover ‘unprecedented’ Phoenician necropolis in southern Spain

The necropolis of subterranean limestone vaults where the Phoenicians who lived on the Iberian peninsula laid their dead was discovered by workers upgrading water supplies in southern Spain.

The Phoenician-Carthaginian cemetery dates back to the fourth or fifth century BC and was found in the town of Osuna.

Archaeologists and locals were shocked by the discovery of the Phoenician necropolis, which is located in the ruins of the Roman city of Urso. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe is located on the coast of Cádiz, which was founded by the Phoenicians in 1100BC.

Preliminary surveys show that there are eight burial vaults, as well as staircases and areas that are thought to have served as atriums.

A series of remains of historical value have been discovered by the culture and historical heritage department of the AndalucED.

The necropolis was found with eight well tombs, atriums and staircase access.

We were surprised when we found these structures carved from the rock because we thought they were from the imperial Roman age.

The mayor of Osuna said the find had already prompted a re-examination of the area's history.

We all know that excavations in certain parts of our town are likely to turn up remains that have differing degrees of historical value, but we have never gone this deep before.

The new evidence of a Phoenician-Carthaginian presence in the area doesn't change history, but it does change what we know.

The mayor said that the luxurious nature of the necropolis suggested it had been built for the highest level of the social hierarchy.

The team has already come up with reliable information that attests to the historical. The graves themselves and the ritual spaces that are being examined suggest that this wasn't an old burial site.

Eight years ago, parts of the fifth season of Game of Throne were filmed in the town of Osuna, which has a population of nearly 18,000.