Skeletons Found Buried With Urns On Heads & Feet In Transylvanian Cemetery
Photo of Cluj-Napoca Central Park, fromthe Romanian city where the discovery was made.
Image via photo ID 140099244 © Ungureanu Vadim | Dreamstime.com
If it weren’t for a scheduled construction project located in Cluj-Napoca, the capital of Transylvania, the discovery of skeletons that had been mysteriously buried with urns placed on their heads would’ve never happened.
Archaeologists unearthed the cemetery measuring upwards of 10,000 square feet, which holds the history of two settlements, according to Live Science. The Neolithic—Stone Age—one dates 6,000 years, and a later Celtic dwelling was built on top of its remains after around 4,000 years.
The burials revealed urns either on the skeletons’ heads or feet, which scientists speculate would potentially have held food or drink for the deceased as they made their way to the afterlife.
Nourishment in this form was a common burial gift, but it’s hard to tell for certain since the items would’ve decomposed long before being discovered.
A large “pit” was also found nearby, local news outlet Gherla Info reports. This was used by the Neolithic settlement to store food at first, but later became a landfill.
However, it’s noted that in Celtic culture, particularly in Transylvania, the deceased weren’t buried. Instead, Celtic tribes would incinerate them and preserve these remains in large urns. These would then be buried alongside offerings.
Perhaps this was the origin of some of the urns, although it doesn’t explain why they were placed so specifically on the heads or feet of the buried.
Future analyses will enable us to find out more about the deceased, such as their sexes, potential causes of death, and how old they were. After being restored, they may be exhibited at the National Museum of History of Transylvania.
[via Live Science, image via photo ID 140099244 © Ungureanu Vadim | Dreamstime.com]
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