Skeletons Buried in Fetal Position at a Roman Cemetery Composed of Bones from Multiple Individuals from the Neolithic Era.
A set of skeletons excavated from a Roman cremation cemetery in Pommerœul, Belgium, has astonished scientists because it is composed of bones from at least five people who lived in different periods, as reported by Live Science on November 5. The new study was published in the journal Antiquity.
The grave in Pommerœul, Belgium, contains bones from at least 5 individuals. The colors indicate the segments of bone analyzed for DNA. (Photo: Paumen/Wargnies/Demory/Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles).
During the excavation of the cemetery in the 1970s, experts discovered 76 cremation graves and one grave containing a skeleton in a fetal position. The related artifacts and burial practices suggest that the cremation graves belonged to Romans, dating from the 2nd to 3rd century AD. Although burial in a fetal position is quite unusual for Roman cemeteries, the excavation team found a Roman-style bone pin near the skull, leading them to conclude that this grave likely also dates back to the Roman period.
In 2019, carbon isotope analysis confirmed that all cremation graves in Pommerœul date back to the Roman era. However, surprisingly, the samples from the skeleton in the fetal position have various radiocarbon dates from the Neolithic era (7000 – 3000 BC).
In the new study, archaeologist Barbara Veselka from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and colleagues conducted a more detailed investigation of this unusual grave using various techniques, including bone analysis, carbon dating, and ancient DNA sequencing.
“It is possible that more than five individuals contributed to this ‘individual,’ but the number of people confirmed by DNA is five,” Veselka stated. Carbon dating determined that the Roman bone pin near the skull dates from 69 – 210 AD, while gene analysis revealed that the skull belonged to a Roman woman from around the 3rd to 4th century AD.
These analyses raise further questions, such as why the skull of a Roman woman was found in a Neolithic grave and why the grave contained the bones of multiple individuals?
The research team suggests that the Romans may have accidentally disturbed a Neolithic grave while burying cremated remains, later adding the skull and bone pin to complete it before sealing the grave. Another possibility is that the Romans used scattered Neolithic bone fragments and a Roman skull to assemble one “individual.”
“Whether the assembly of bones occurred at the end of the Neolithic or during the Roman period, the presence of this ‘individual’ is clearly intentional,” the research team wrote. However, the purpose of the Romans in creating this grave remains a mystery. According to scientists, they may have been inspired by superstition or felt the need to connect with an individual who lived in the area before them.
