The largest mass grave in Europe for plague victims has been discovered in Nuremberg, Germany. The burials date back to the late 15th and early 17th centuries.
This is reported by Ancient origins.
It is reported that archaeologists, who initially intended to explore the area for the construction of new residential buildings, stumbled upon the largest mass grave ever excavated in Europe. More than a thousand skeletons of plague victims were unearthed.
Archaeologists have discovered eight mass graves, three of which have been fully explored. Scientists are paying attention to the unusual green tint of the bones - the result of centuries of exposure to metal oxide (including copper). The excavations revealed horrific details of the mass burials. The bodies were tightly packed in layers, with adults often sitting and infants filling in the gaps, indicating an acute need for space.
The graves indicate different times of burial.
The research has shown that the burials date from the late 15th to the early 17th centuries. This timeframe aligns with Nuremberg's plague outbreaks, events that devastated the city and forced the creation of emergency burial procedures due to the overwhelming number of victims.
Nuremberg suffered from three major and several smaller plague outbreaks between the 16th and 17th centuries, killing 5,000 in 1533, 10,000 in 1563, and 15,000 in 1634.
The Black Death is generally believed to have been bubonic plague, one of three types of highly infectious diseases known simply as plague. It is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Bubonic plague was and is spread primarily by fleas.
