The Sarcophagus of Simpelveld

The sarcophagus of Simpelveld is a sculpted, sandstone sarcophagus from Roman times, found in 1930 in the Dutch-Limburg village of Simpelveld, now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum of
Antiquities in Leiden. Replicas can be found in the Roman Exposition in Bocholtz (Wilhelminastraat 17) and the Thermenmuseum in Heerlen.
The sarcophagus was found on 11 December 1930, together with two other sandstone sarcophagi, when miner Andreas J. Wierts from Simpelveld was excavating on his property on the Stampstraat in the
centre of the village.

Of the three ash chests, two had been looted. The third, which became known as the 'sarcophagus of Simpelveld', contained a number of grave goods: some gold jewellery, a silver mirror, a glass bottle, a bottle of pottery and a few other objects.

Visit Zuid-Limburg