A cemetery from the fifteenth century has been discovered in Rottum in Groningen. The burial field was found during work to strengthen a building. There used to be a monastery on the site. 31 skeletons have been excavated, the site has been excavated for a sixth.
For archaeologist Tim Kauling, it is the biggest find of his career. According to him, the skeletons are in particularly good condition: “They are still very intact. The clay has completely enclosed them, so to speak, so that no oxygen could reach them,” he told RTV Noord.
Textiles and nails
In addition to skeletons, pieces of textiles and nails have also been found: “We can see that some people are buried only in a robe and some in a coffin. Then we find all kinds of nails around the skeleton.”
The archaeologist expects that excavating all the skeletons could take weeks. Once the entire site has been surveyed and all finds recorded, the bones will probably be reburied.
