The man finds the ancient cemetery in his home

2024-10-15 09:51:00

Major reforms can destroy a person’s peace. Anyone who has lived through one knows what I’m talking about… Now, the situation can get even worse if you find an old cemetery under your property! It seems like a bad joke, but it actually happened (and recently) in France.

While working in the basement of a house in Paris, a French family found a buried skeleton. After the scare, experts were called and archaeologists began excavations. And they discovered that those remains were not alone: ​​in total they found 38 graves!

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No, this is not the plot of a horror movie. Not the home of a psychopath or a serial killer. According to the company Archeodunumresponsible for the excavation, the Paris property was once a cemetery many centuries ago.

The researchers still do not know the sex or age of the dead, but they have managed to identify the period in which they lived. The dating of the tombs varies between 476 AD and 750 AD, i.e. we are talking about a cemetery that has been active for more than 1,500 years.

In total, archaeologists found 38 graves under the basement of the house – Image: Disclosure/Archeodunum

Archeology and history

• The year 476 marks the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Merovingian period in the region.
• The Merovingian dynasty ruled ancient Gaul for about 400 years.
• This territory (of Gaul) corresponds to where France, Belgium, a part of Germany and Switzerland are currently located.
• Inside the 38 tombs, researchers found 10 plaster sarcophagi.
• They believe that the other dead were buried directly in the earth or in ordinary wooden coffins, which disappeared after the decomposition process.
• This difference indicates that the cemetery functioned for many centuries.
• Historians say that the municipality of Corbeil-Essones, where the bones were discovered, was home to a chapel.
• And that, before it, there was an even older pagan temple on the site, which celebrated a fountain.
• New studies, especially those conducted on skeletons, should provide more answers on this discovery.

The archaeologists’ work lasted more than a year: it started in 2023 and ended only in 2024 – Image: Disclosure/Archeodunum

A look at the past

The scientists explain that the goal of the study is to better understand the population that lived in this region during antiquity and the Middle Ages. Furthermore, they also want to understand the evolution of funerary traditions during these periods.

The Archeodunum team makes it clear that all findings will be presented in a very well documented excavation report. And who will inform the scientific community and the press about the discoveries.

The company, however, said nothing else about the family living in the facility. I, fearful as I am, would never sleep more peacefully knowing that a cemetery existed. I hope they moved. For the sake of history and archaeology. And also for the sake of their sleep.

The information comes from Archeodunum.