The ancient graves were found in the basement of a house in a southern suburb of Paris that is thought to have been built on the site of a medieval chapel.Image credit: Archeodunum
Posted on 10/09/2024 11:05:40 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A homeowner doing a basement renovation project near Paris unexpectedly found a skeleton, which later led to the discovery of nearly 40 burials, some of them dating to Roman times.
During a basement renovation project, a homeowner near Paris unexpectedly unearthed a skeleton. The discovery eventually led to the excavation of a cemetery where dozens of people were buried, some of them up to 1,700 years ago.
The oldest grave dates from the third century A.D., during the Late Roman period; and 10 plaster sarcophagi date from the early Merovingian period of Frankish rule, which lasted from roughly 476 to 750.
The most recent grave dates to about the 10th century, which indicates that the cemetery was in use for about 700 years...
The homeowner found the first grave this past winter, and archaeologists have now unearthed 38 graves there in a four-room area covering 560 square feet (52 square meters)...
The house in the Montconseil district of Corbeil-Essonnes, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, is thought to have been built at the site of the medieval Notre-Dame-des-Champs chapel, which in turn is said to have been built above an even older pagan temple honoring a spring.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The ancient graves were found in the basement of a house in a southern suburb of Paris that is thought to have been built on the site of a medieval chapel.Image credit: Archeodunum
Thanks for the link!
“Eternal rest”.
Hmm, maybe not.
Sure hope the homeowner got recompensed for the expense of and intrusion by the historian excavation/reclamation....
“You only moved the headstones! “
Paris has a history of moving cemeteries. As the city grew they moved old cemeteries further and further away to make room for housing, and for fear of health (plagues etc). If you ever visited the catacombs of Paris - it’s a bit macabre - it was a limestone mine but eventually around 1780 the city decided to move the buried inside the mine to free up the cemetery land for development. There are over 5 million skeletons down there, and you can walk and tour rooms full of heads, spines, femurs etc. All neatly stacked against the walls. Millions of them.
So it would’t surprise me if they found houses built on top of old graveyards going back even further. The city is about 2300 years old.
“Bonjour, Pierre! How is your basement renovation project coming along?”
“Well, I think it will take a lot longer than I expected ...”
Re photo:
Is that skeleton in the wall (like catacombs) or in the floor?
Either way it appears to be fairly shallow.
Not sure I would be able to continue living there.
My guess is it’s an aerial view. Aside from the skeleton “floating” in its space, the instrument case looks like a fabric one and wouldn’t be likely to stand up vertically.
Yes,
Why disturb the dead?
There is a law preventing disturbances of the native gravesites here.
Maybe they should follow that in Europe too.
Oh yeah. The TV People. d;^)
Why, the tenants are quiet, they don’t make a mess and they are a great conversation piece at parties. What’s not to like? /s/
Amelie 2 - The Awakening
Good point…
(Early morning pre-coffee posting is not recommended … sigh)
Re tenants:
LOL!!! And no wild parties either!!!
But seriously, it’s somebody else’s resting place, And I would feel like I’m violating their peace.
A few years ago, I spent the day on the set of This Old House. One of the stars told me that if they choose a home to renovate, they tell the homeowner to add X months to the project. One day of filming equals at least one lost day of work.
Having your project stopped for an archeological dig makes this pale in comparison.
I have told my wife many times we should buy a house next to a cemetery. Quiet neighbors, peaceful nights and no visitors just dropping in. Besides, it would be handy for all those overbearing sales people that have been stopping by lately. My neighbors must be wealthy because they keep buying security systems, multiple roofs and a new exterminator every week. I know this because they keep telling me “I am in the area because your neighbor just bought our______.” If we lived by a cemetery nobody would question the fresh graves.
Wait till he digs down and gets to China!
Chief, your sense of humor is excellent lol!
Looks like le maitre du maison will have to wait awhile for his TV room and pool table.
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