Archaeologists have found the skeletons of six babies in a medieval “house of the dead” near Poland’s border with Ukraine. In 2017, famers started noticing bones appearing in their fields in the village Gródek nad
Bugiem, so they swiftly informed the nearby Hrubieszów Museum about the grisly findings. Rightfully so as the bones led to astonishing discoveries – burials from 11th century, the times of Bolesław I the Brave and his famous battle with Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Rus, which took place somewhere nearby.
Excavation work on the site was led by Dr Tomasz Dzieńkowski from the Maria Curie-
Skłodowska University’s Institute of Archaeology and has covered a site about 300
meters from a medieval stronghold. Scientists uncovered fragments of fabric with golden thread near a skeleton, and this year’s works were yielding similar finds until they came across a large pit with a three-metre diameter. Inside were the numerous remains of incinerated people, as well as a dog’s skull, the bones of an adult’s hand and a broken clay pot. On its edge, archaeologists, to their surprise, came across well-preserved baby skeletons.
Bartłomiej Bartecki from the Hrubieszów Museum told PAP: “It could have been a so-
called ‘house of the dead’ or a monumental family tomb, with a similar form to the
homes of that time. Half-dugout, which were partly burrowed in the ground, and were
usually covered by a gable roof.” The unusual discovery dates back to 11th century.
Read more:
https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/skeletons-of-six-babies-found-during-
archaeological-dig-8067