Posted on 04/20/2023 11:29:46 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
...in the heart of Paris, scientists have uncovered 50 graves in an ancient necropolis which offer a rare glimpse of life in the French capital's precursor Lutetia nearly 2,000 years ago.
Somehow the buried necropolis was never stumbled upon during multiple road works over the years, as well as the construction of the Port-Royal station on the historic Left Bank in the 1970s.
However, plans for a new exit for the train station prompted an archaeological excavation...
The "Saint Jacques" necropolis, the largest burial site in the Gallo–Roman town of Lutetia, was previously partially excavated in the 1800s.
However, only objects considered precious were taken from the graves, with the many skeletons, burial offerings and other artifacts abandoned.
The necropolis was then covered over and again lost to time.
The INRAP team discovered one section that had never before been excavated...
The excavation, which began in March, has uncovered 50 graves, all of which were used for burial -- not cremation, which was also common at the time.
The remains of the men, women and children are believed to be Parisii, a Gallic people who lived in Lutetia, from when the town on the banks of the Seine river was under the control of the Roman Empire.
The skeletons were buried in wooden coffins, which were now only identifiable by their nails.
More than half were buried alongside offerings such as ceramic jugs and goblets.
Sometimes a coin was placed in the coffin, or even in the mouth of the dead, a common practice at the time called Charon's obol...
The archaeologists also found shoes inside the graves, identifying them by the small nails that would be been in the soles...
Jewellery, hairpins, belts were also discovered.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
One of the skeletons unearthed in an ancient necropolis found metres from a busy Paris train station.© Thomas Samson/AFP/File
Why 1/3rd of France is Almost Empty
11:01
RealLifeLore
6.76M subscribers
4.9M views
1 year ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTgwv6Ic3fA
STILL WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO ARRIVE ON TIME..............
Were they victims of the Romans? Maybe France could demand reparations from Italy.
Georgia Meloni: 'Shirley, you jest'.
They probably died waiting for public transportation.
Wow, they had ziploc bags, way back then!
Ancient high tech civilization hypothesis confirmed!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.