Archaeologists Discovered An Ancient “Skeleton” Made From The Bones Of Five Different People — Who Lived Centuries Apart
Paumen, Wargnies and Demory/Fédération Wallonie-BruxellesThe grave in Belgium that held the bones of at least five individuals — who lived during different points in time. The color represents the bones that were sampled for aDNA analysis.
During an archaeological excavation in the Belgian town of Pommerœul, researchers came across what they believed to be a Roman skeleton interred in a tomb. However, after conducting DNA analyses and radiocarbon dating, they made a surprising discovery: Only the skull belonged to a Gallo-Roman human. The rest of the bones originated from the Late Neolithic era — and they all belonged to different individuals.
As La Brújula Verde reported, the analysis showed that the bones came from at least five different people who lived during separate points in time, suggesting that their remains had been assembled long after they died.
Researchers hypothesized that someone in the Roman era made the choice to “complete” or “reassemble” the skeleton of an ancient person who once lived in the same region as them, adding a skull — and multiple artifacts.
B. Veselka et al.The cranium from the tomb.
“The Gallo-Roman contribution of a skull to the composite individual is evident, but the motivation remains unclear,” researchers wrote. They added that “perhaps this community was influenced by superstition or felt a need to connect with an individual who had once occupied the area before them.”
Researchers also found badger bones in the tomb and a burned phalanx, which could suggest that these remains were used in some sort of ritual activity. The exact nature of such a ritual, however, remains unclear.
Likewise, researchers have no clue who put together these ancient bones to form a skeleton. They also don’t know why they chose to do it.
“It’s a unique finding that illustrates the complexity of ancient funerary practices,” they wrote. “The bones were selected, a suitable place was chosen, and the elements were carefully arranged to imitate correct anatomical order. The resulting burial reflects great care and planning, as well as a sound knowledge of human anatomy.”
Archaeologists Excavating A Viking Ship Found A Message In A Bottle Left By Another Archaeologist More Than 150 Years Earlier
University of BergenThe bottle and letter left at the Viking grave by Anders Lorange in 1874.
In 1874, archaeologist Anders Lorange of the Bergen Museum excavated the largest Viking ship burial ever found at the Myklebust farm on Nordfjordeid in western Norway. The farm was the estate of 9th-century Viking king Audbjörn Frøybjørnsson of Firda, who died in battle against Harald Hairfair.
Following his defeat, Frøybjørnsson’s body was returned to Myklebust, and he was ultimately given a ship burial there.
After Lorange excavated the burial over 150 years ago, experts learned that the ship had been at least 100 feet long, making it the largest ever found in a Viking burial. It also remains the only known cremation Viking ship burial ever found in Scandinavia. But before Lorange finished refilling the mound, he wrote a note, rolled it up into a glass bottle alongside his business card and five coins, and tossed it into the burial pit.
Now, well over a century later, historians found Lorange’s letter.
“We haven’t opened a Viking grave in Norway for the past 100 years,” historian Jacob Bredesen told Newsweek about the thrilling excavation. “It’s quite spectacular that they have opened it at all.”
University of BergenAnders Lorange’s business card.
Bredesen explained that the Norwegian Ministry for Cultural Heritage intends to nominate the grave as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site, which requires a more thorough excavation than the one Lorange headed in 1874.
They likely hadn’t expected to find a letter from Lorange himself, though. Translated from Norwegian, it reads:
“This Mound was excavated Anno Domino 1874. Of Anders Lorange, Antiqvarius Norvegiæ. The mound is built over fallen Men. They were burned in their ship with their weapons and decorations. Of Skjold (shield) bulges were 26—of Swords 2—an axe and many arrows—in addition to many other Old Saws. The find is handed over to Bergens Museum.”
Lorange also included a dedication in runes to his then-girlfriend, Emma Gade, whom he would later marry. Curiously, it was not the first time researchers found a love note from Lorange. In 1939, during a follow-up excavation of Raknehaugen, researchers found a note penned by Lorange to Ingeborg Heftye, who, evidently, he did not end up marrying.
After reading about the most intriguing archaeology news stories of 2024, check out our top archaeology news stories of 2023 and 2022.
