A mass grave in southern Germany surprised archaeologists with 1,000 skeletons of plague victims from eight pits packed tightly together in a sitting position.
Mo mo tap the, startled 1,000 boards came down to chat with each other
The bodies were tightly packed together in a sitting position. (Photo: Terra Veritas)
Excavations, carried out ahead of construction work in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, revealed eight pits, each containing hundreds of skeletons of adults, children and infants dating from the end of the century. 15th to early 17th century.
Archaeologists also found pottery shards and silver coins in two of the three holes they finished excavating. According to a statement by archaeological excavation company In Terra Veritas, radiocarbon dating shows the pottery coincides with a plague outbreak that occurred between 1622 and 1634, while the The coin dates to around 1619.
Melanie Langbein, of Nuremberg’s heritage conservation department, said: “Such a discovery has never happened before and no one thought this could happen. This site is of great importance for the city of Nuremberg.”
According to the statement, Nuremberg suffered a series of plague outbreaks between 1533 and 1634, claiming about 30,000 lives. As bodies piled up, authorities ordered them to be buried in mass graves outside the city’s church grounds.
Archaeologists have counted and removed up to 1,000 bodies from the ground, but they predict the number will exceed 1,500 in the coming weeks as excavations continue. If so, the Nuremberg site could become the largest scientifically excavated mass burial in Europe.
