'Hermetically sealed' Roman sarcophagus frozen in time for 1,700 years finally opened by archaeologists

The tomb, discovered by archaeologists with the Budapest History Museum, was found in Óbuda, a northern district of Budapest.

Remarkably, the tomb hadn't been opened by looters since it was buried. Its stone lid was secured by molten lead and metal clamps.

Lead archaeologist Gabriella Fényes stressed the undisturbed nature of the findings in comments to The Associated Press. 

"The peculiarity of the finding is that it was a hermetically sealed sarcophagus," she said. "It was not disturbed previously, so it was intact."

The items had been "given to the deceased by her relatives for her eternal journey," Fényes said.

"The deceased was buried very carefully by her relatives," she said. "They must have really loved who they buried here."

"Even now, I shudder to think how painful it must have been for the people at that time to bury this young lady," she added.

Though archaeologists discovered eight other graves nearby, they were struck by the well-preserved condition of the woman's tomb.

"This probably means that the deceased was well-to-do or of a higher social status," he told the AP.

"It is truly rare to find a sarcophagus like this, untouched and never used before, because in the 4th century it was common to reuse earlier sarcophagi," he added. 

"It is quite clear that this sarcophagus was made specifically for the deceased."

The grave also contained a thick layer of mud that may hold more treasures, Fényes said.

"I suspect we could find jewelry," she said. "We haven't found any earrings or other jewelry belonging to the woman, so I hope that these small items will turn up during the sifting of the mud."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.