Ancient burial site found in Syria

UDINE, Italy, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Italian researchers said an ancient necropolis has been uncovered outside a Syrian oasis.

A team from Udine University said the burial site near Palmyra contains at least 30 large burial mounds and is believed to date back to the third millennium B.C., the Italian news service ANSA reported Wednesday.

''This is the first evidence that an area of semi-desert outside the oasis was occupied during the early Bronze Age,'' Morandi Bonacossi told ANSA. ''Future excavations of the burial mounds will undoubtedly reveal information of crucial importance.''