Italian archaeologists recently uncovered a "monumental necropolis" that appeared to honor an elite class of people thousands of years ago, provincial officials announced this month. The ancient cemetery found in Trento, a northern Alpine city, includes at least 200 individual tombs, which experts believe date back to the early Iron Age, a pre-Roman period between the 9th and 6th centuries B.C.E., shedding new light on the history of the region.

Excavators discovered the necropolis while carrying out restoration and development work on a historic building in the area, a project spearheaded by Trento's archaeological heritage office, said the city's provincial council in a news release unveiling what officials called an "exceptional" find.