50 Graves Discovered Under Paris Bus Station Pre-Date French Capital
Scientists have uncovered 50 graves which give a glimpse at what life was like in the bustling major city nearly 2,000 years ago
Scientists have uncovered 50 graves in an ancient necropolis near a busy train station in Paris, France. It is believed to they belong to Lutetia, the French capital's predecessor.
The necropolis date back to nearly 2,000 years ago, according to a report by CBS News.
The location of the graves, situated near the Port-Royal train station in Paris, was never discovered during multiple road constructions over the years, nor during the station's construction in the 1970s.
The discovery was made because plans for a new exit for the train station prompted an archaeological excavation by France's National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), according to a news release from the institute.
The burials were found to be part of the Saint Jacques necropolis dating back to the 2nd century, according to CBS News.
The excavation, which began in March, uncovered skeletons buried in wooden coffins; of which only the nails and some small traces of wood remained.
Some of the remains were buried alongside offerings, such as dishes, glassware, coins, shoes, jewelry — and even an entire skeleton of a pig and a smaller animal, both thought to be a sacrifice to the gods.
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"Drawing on their funeral rites, we can reach a kind of general vision of the people who lived in Paris in the second century," Dominique Garcia, president of France's National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), told the French broadcaster Europe 1.
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