Archaeologists find skeleton of young man strangely tied; understand

A recent archaeological discovery shows that the corpse of a 15-year-old girl was buried face down and with her ankles tied so that she would not return from the grave.

The remains were found in Conington, England, by archaeologists. Afterwards, the skeleton was sent to the London Archeology Museum (SPRING) for analysis.

“This burial offers an interesting, albeit tragic, opportunity to see the realities of life and death for those seen as outsiders in the past,” said Don Walker, an osteologist at the museum.

For him, it will not be possible to find out about the young woman's life, but the way she was buried suggests that she or her family were seen differently among the people of the village. Therefore, the village society decided to position the body in this way to ensure that “she could not return from the grave”, says Walker.

This story is one of many that surround ancient cities. The Medieval Era is full of mysteries and legends that continue to intrigue historians and archaeologists to this day.

(Image: Museum of London Archeology/Reproduction)

The discovery of the young woman's skeleton

The place where the young woman was buried was located during excavations carried out between 2016 and 2018. Then, experts from the London museum analyzed the collected remains.

In a statement, the London Archeology Museum reported how the skeleton It had a curious history, very different from the traditions of the Medieval Era.

Normally, people were buried face up, but the fact that the young woman was found with her face in another position and with her ankles tied shows that she was considered different.

“Being buried face down is considered a social expression of ‘otherness,’ a funerary practice reserved for people considered outside the society of the high Middle Ages.”

The osteologists (bone specialists) who examined the find also pointed out that the young woman had childhood malnutrition and spinal disease resulting from heavy work during childhood.

Apparently, the girl's death happened unexpectedly and suddenly, as the remains have no evidence of more serious illnesses.

Thus, the discovery by archaeologists is an important step towards organizing new analyzes of the traditions and social structures of the Medieval Era, unveiling the mysteries and practices of societies old ones.