The town of Flers in northwestern France has existed since at least the twelfth century. In the fifteenth century, the small rural village of about 500 inhabitants was centered around the Church of Saint-Germain. French archaeologists excavating the church cemetery in order to understand the building, its history, and changing burial practices over the centuries have recently uncovered hundreds of burials. The majority of these were simple, wooden coffins from the medieval period, but among them were two richer coffins, both made of lead, dating to the eighteenth century. One of them had a lead heart attached to it as well.
Buried With Care
Recommended Articles
Features November/December 2024
Let the Games Begin
How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses
Features November/December 2024
The Many Faces of the Kingdom of Shu
Thousands of fantastical bronzes are beginning to reveal the secrets of a legendary Chinese dynasty
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024
Egyptian Crocodile Hunt
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024
Monuments to Youth
-
Features March/April 2015
The Vikings in Ireland
A surprising discovery in Dublin challenges long-held ideas about when the Scandinavian raiders arrived on the Emerald Isle
-
Letter From the Marshall Islands March/April 2015
Defuzing the Past
Unexploded ordnance from WWII is a risk for the people of the Marshall Islands—and a challenge for archaeologists
-
Artifacts March/April 2015
Antler Chess Pieces
(Courtesy Andy Chapman/MOLA Northampton) -
Digs & Discoveries March/April 2015
Seismic Shift
(Courtesy Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)