Thought to be between the ages of 25 and 35 years old, he was buried in a shallow grave with a pugio (a dagger favored by the ancient Romans) placed on his back.

The cause of death, the unusual face-down burial with severed feet, and the placement of the pugio on the individual's back remain "a real mystery," as the archaeologists described.

He was positioned face down, had his feet cut off and a sheathed dagger—known as a pugio— placed on his back.

It was the skeleton of an oval, bag‑like animal about four inches tall, covered with dagger‑like spines, that paleontologists named Nidelric pugio.

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César told El Pais: "The presence of the pugio [dagger] in the burial, entirely intentional, is a way of indicating the social position of the person buried and his belonging to the army.

The fortress burial included a " pugio " — the standard dagger of the Roman army — that suggests the dead man was a soldier and possibly a deserter.

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The nearly complete skeleton, with severed feet and a pugio on the back, leaves the cause of death and burial a "real mystery." Roman soldier found buried face down with a dagger on his back in ...