lots of weird things

The skeleton was unearthed at a Roman-era cremation cemetery in the town of Pommerul, near the French border. In the 1970s, 76 cremation burials and one body in embryonic position were discovered here. The associated artifacts and burial style allowed us to assume that the cremations are Roman and date back to the II-III centuries AD. While burial in the fetal position was unusual for the Romans, scientists found a Roman-style pin near the skull and dated the strange burial to the same period, Channel 24 reported, citing the University of Cambridge’s journal Antiquity. .

When scientists began examining a piece of the skeleton, it turned out that the bone was 2,500 years older than thought. A closer look at the skeleton revealed that it consisted of the bones of at least five people who lived at different times. However, there is still a possibility that their number will be higher.

Radiocarbon analysis in 2019 showed that all other cremations at Pommerula date back to Roman times. But analysis of the strange skeleton dates back to three different Neolithic periods: 7000 to 3000 BC.

A Roman bone pin found near the skull was radiocarbon dated to AD 69-210, and genetic analysis of the skull determined that it belonged to a woman who lived during the Roman period, around the third or fourth centuries.

This analysis raised two questions:

• Why was a Roman woman’s skull placed in a Neolithic tomb?
• Why did a Neolithic grave consist of the remains of several people?

Researchers suggest that the Romans may have accidentally disturbed an existing Neolithic tomb by burying cremated remains in the third or fourth century and added a new skull and bone needle made slightly earlier, between AD 69 and 210. However, in this case, it is still unclear why the ancient people performed such a strange burial ritual. After all, it doesn’t even look like a mass grave because it doesn’t contain the complete skeletons of several people.

Another possibility is that the Romans deliberately created a patchwork skeleton from scattered Neolithic bones and a Roman-era skull, arranging the remains into the shape of a twisted human embryo. Why would they need this? Nobody knows.

Perhaps this community was inspired by superstition or felt the need to connect with the person who occupied the area before them.
– researchers say.

Despite cultural differences, it is likely that both Neolithic and Roman people chose this place as a burial site due to its proximity to the river. Throughout the ages, rivers and other bodies of water have been considered important both geographically and spiritually. Pommerul was located near water and was probably a special place for them.