Archaeological excavations at the site where a Hungarian investor is building a commercial complex that will be part of the future Ljubljana Passenger Centre have uncovered 183 graves from the times of Emona, the ancient Roman city on the site of present-day Ljubljana.

The finds were presented at a press conference on 7 November where property developer Mendota Invest spoke about the progress on Emonika, the commercial hub that is expected to come to life in 2027 featuring retail space, two hotels, business premises and apartments.

Given that the excavations were carried out in the area of Emona's northern cemetery, the most beautiful finds are related to graves, head of excavations Matej Draksler from STIK group said.

Emona's northern cemetery stretched along the main Roman road, which ran under today's Dunajska Road from today's Congress Square northwards in the direction of ancient Celia, now the city of Celje.

A total of 160 graves were cremation graves, mainly from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, and 23 were inhumation graves from the 3rd and 4th centuries, when burial practices changed as Christianity gradually gained ground.

Numerous items have been found in the graves, mainly ceramics and glassware, oil lamps, jewellery, toiletries, a silver stylus, and 122 tiny nails used to attach the sole of a shoe.

The archaeologists also unearthed a side Roman road leading off the main Roman road through Emona's northern cemetery in the direction of the eastern outskirts of Ljubljana. It was well fortified with gravel and had two roadside ditches, according to Draksler.

North of the side road, a small burial site was discovered with a structure measuring approximately eight by 12 metres, which was probably a cemetery building.

West of it, 34 cremation graves from the 1st and 2nd centuries were found, containing many objects, including a silver earring with an image of what could be a bee.

East of it were found eleven inhumation graves from the 3rd and 4th centuries, including three skeletons which were found in sarcophagi made of stone.

The deceased had a lot of jewellery on them - one woman had four bronze bracelets on her left hand, another was buried with two gold earrings and the third was found to have a very well-preserved ring.

Draksler said many of the finds surprised them, such as the small burial site next to the newly discovered cemetery building, where burials had taken place continuously for 400 years.

Excavations had been carried out in the northern cemetery many times before, but the latest one covered such a vast area that it will allow archaeologists to better understand the relationship between Emona and the immediate countryside.

While most of the finds are related to Emona, the archaeologists also documented objects from the time when the Ljubljana railway station was built in 1849 , as well as structures associated with the Italian occupation of Ljubljana during WWII.

A mockup of the new commercial hub next to Ljubljana's future passenger centre. Photo: Emonika

Currently the largest private real estate project in the country, the Emonika centre will span 180,000 square metres, including two hotels with more than 380 rooms, three apartment buildings with 187 apartments, a modern shopping centre and 35,000 m2 of office space.

Mendota Invest, which is part of the Hungarian OTP banking group, valued the investment at over €350 million in spring.