Remains of ancient wooden coffins — holding babies and children — unearthed in Hungary
More than 300 years ago, a baby girl died in Hungary.
Her family prepared her grave with love, placing an ornate beaded headband with a bronze spiral on her head at her funeral before burying her.
Now, as part of renovations, archaeologists in Kecskemét have excavated an approximately 160-square-foot trench — and unearthed the baby’s grave, along with a trove of other burials.
Archaeologists knew about the burial site before the excavation, according to a Feb. 26 news release from the Katona József Museum. The site is considered one of the oldest medieval to early modern cemeteries in the city.
The cemetery was in use from about the end of the 14th century until 1778, when burials in the city were abolished and new burial grounds were designated outside city limits, experts said.
Researchers unearthed 18 complete or partial skeletons organized in various layers from the grave site. There was also a large amount of scattered human bones that were collected and documented.
Traces of wood remains and coffin nails indicate that almost all of the burials were placed inside wooden coffins, archaeologists said. All of the graves were facing southwest to northeast, following the orientation of a nearby church.
The majority of burials belonged to infants and children. Experts said this is because they mostly explored the upper layers of the cemetery, and the young were buried higher than older people in ancient times.
One of the burials, only about 2 feet underground, belonged to a baby girl. Her burial was destroyed from the chest down, but researchers found an ornate beaded headband with an attached bronze spiral on her head.
Experts said this artifact was most likely given to the baby by her family.
Analysis of the headband indicates it likely dates to the 17th century. It is being restored by experts.
The cemetery has suffered significant damage over the last few centuries due to its location in a city and more recent construction in the area, officials said.
Kecskemét is about a 60-mile drive southeast of Budapest.
Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Katona József Museum.
This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Remains of ancient wooden coffins — holding babies and children — unearthed in Hungary."
