Archaeologists in central Poland have uncovered an early medieval cemetery, excavating the skeletal remains of nearly 300 people.
The chilling discovery was made in the city of Płock, Poland, where the 11th-century cemetery remained hidden under a residential area and car park. Archaeologists excavating the site believe it covered an area of up to 10 acres, and have been unearthing individual graves since 2016. Their most recent efforts have uncovered 187 burial pits, adding to last year’s discovery of 78.
To date, 276 skeletons have been pulled from the ground but more are expected to be found in the coming weeks.
Dr Tomasz Kordala, lead archaeologist and deputy director of the Masovian Museum in Płock, said: “We are coming to the end of this year’s works.
“We now know it was a big cemetery that covered at least 10 acres and the number of graves is well over 300.
A great number of early medieval residents of Płock are buried here.”
Dr Kordala
“And we have about half-an-acre left to dig through.”
He added: “If we include the burials we came across a year earlier, as well as the ones uncovered four years ago, then the number of graves we have confirmed so far is 276.
“Surely, more of them will come by the time the examination ends.”
According to the archaeologist, about 30 percent of the buried people were found in fairly well-off pits, as gleaned from the personal effects found around them.
The items have also allowed the archaeologists to date the cemetery to the Early Medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.
Unfortunately, many of the pits have been damaged or destroyed by modern-day pipe-laying and construction.
Dr Kordala said: “I believe many dozens of graves were destroyed by these types of communal works.”
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