Mystery of the 13 skeletons found sitting up in ancient graves – and their grisly demise
Archaeologists have uncovered 13 skeletons sitting upright in an ancient burial ground in France.
The site is in the former garden of the Cordeliers convent in Dijon and is believed to date from the second Iron Age (400BC to 100BC).
Horrifyingly, investigators also identified a Gallo-Roman necropolis from the 1st Century AD, containing the remains of around 20 infants who are thought to have died before reaching their first birthday.
The upright skeletons were placed in 13 circular burial pits, each about one metre in diameter, arranged in a straight north–south line over a distance of 25 metres.
A further five or six burials uncovered in a later phase of excavation appear to follow a similar pattern. Despite erosion, many of the remains are well preserved.
Initial analysis of the 13 seated individuals suggests they were all men aged between 40 and 60, standing between 1.62m and 1.82m tall.
Researchers say they appear to have been in relatively good health, showing signs of physical activity and strong teeth.
However, several skeletons bear evidence of violence. Five or six show unhealed injuries, including cuts to the upper arm bone, suggesting they may have been deliberately killed.
One individual appears to have died after receiving two blows to the skull from a sharp weapon.
The bodies were buried in a consistent manner: seated at the base of the pit, backs against the eastern wall and facing west. Their arms were placed alongside their bodies, with hands near the pelvis or thighs, and their legs tightly bent.
Aside from a single black stone armband dated between 300 and 200 BC, no personal objects were found.
Experts say the findings contribute to growing evidence of a structured Gallic settlement in the area prior to the Roman era.
The discovery on Rue Turgot is considered particularly significant due to both the number of burials uncovered and the condition in which they have been preserved.
Further analysis is expected to provide deeper insight into the lives and deaths of those buried at the site.