Una necropoli risalente ad un periodo che va dal VII al II sec. a.C. sono state rinvenute a Fossa (L'Aquila). Si tratta di una tomba a camera del II sec. a.C. con il letto in osso dove veniva adagiato il defunto, arricchita con vasi, pugnali e altri oggetti che un tempo venivano lasciati al momento della sepoltura. Questa tomba rimarra' sul posto, mentre i resti ossei delle altre verranno portati al museo di Celano.

Fresh tombs of one of Rome's most implacable foes have been discovered in Italy's mountainous Abruzzo region .

Some of the tombs have been dated to the Second Century BC, when Rome was still trying to subdue the warlike peoples that lived in the region .

Others date as far back as the 8th century BC, before Rome was founded .

A particularly interesting find was a 2nd-Century BC chamber tomb containing terracotta ware, jewelry and a dagger .

"It's fascinating to see how these people used to leave the dead with the objects they used in life: lances and swords for warriors and weaving and household tools for the women," said Abruzzo culture chief Elisabetta Mura .

Abruzzo archaeological official Vincenzo D'Ercole said the new tombs had been located thanks to aerial photographs provided by the Italian Air Force .

"We've known about the tomb site for some time. It's huge - some 2,000 square metres. So we asked the Air Force to give us a hand in spotting tombs" .

Roman legions were continually harried by warriors sweeping down from the Abruzzo hills .

Eventually Rome had to come to an agreement with the tribes, giving up their ambitions of conquest .