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Toddlers discovered a skeleton standing upright in a “circular pit” near the Josephine Baker primary school in the French city of Dijon.
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The discovery marks the latest in a series of discoveries that have seen four other skeletons found in similar circumstances this month alone
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Each skeleton was found facing west
A group of young children got an unexpected surprise while playing in the school playground.
France’s National Institute for Preventive Archeology (INRAP) said in a press release that this month children discovered an upright skeleton in a “circular pit” near Josephine Baker Elementary School in the French city of Dijon.
The discovery is the latest in a series in which four other similar skeletons have been found in an upward position, facing west with their hands on their knees, according to a news release.
Each discovery was made this month.
The skeletons are believed to be those of Gauls, a group that lived in Europe during the Iron Age and Roman times, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Last year, 13 other skeletons were found not far away in the same area of the country, according to IRAP.
Gallic excavation site in the center of Dijon, France
Photo credit: Frédéric BOURIGAULT/AFP, Getty Images
“This sitting position is not typical,” says archaeological anthropologist Annamaria Latron. Le Monde.
She added: “We are more accustomed to people being buried lying down, usually on their backs, with their lower limbs extended, rather than bent like this.”
Over the years, researchers have discovered the skeletons of many Gauls.
With the exception of one skeleton belonging to a child, the remains were that of a man between about 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall with well-preserved teeth.
“Their bones showed signs of osteoarthritis, indicating they had engaged in strenuous physical activity,” Lateran said.
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Archaeologists are still unsure why the bodies were buried in such a unique way.
“We don’t have a preferred hypothesis,” Latrand said. “We missed the surface layer above the tomb.”
“Being an archaeologist can be a very frustrating career,” she added.
Read the original article on People