Archaeologists have announced that they have discovered the tombs of some 270 ancient Roman workers at a site in the Ponte Galeria area south of Rome.

The skeletons were almost all male and showed signs of spinal injuries or other disabilities dating from the 1^st century AD. Experts believe that the remains probably belonged to low caste labourers or slaves working in the nearby salt mines or in the building trade.

Dating was made possible by the coins found in the mouths of many of the dead, as a tribute to Charon, the grim boatman who was believed to ferry souls across the river to the Underworld.