The ancient cemetery contains dozens of skeletons that have been 'stripped bare'.

The French National Institute for Preventive Archaeology (INRAP) has discovered a cemetery with more than 80 graves near Lac du Bourget, in the Savoie province.

Illustration of a skeleton buried underground. Photo: iStock/Getty

The cemetery likely dates back to the Merovingian period, around the 7th century, Newsweek reported on June 29. It is the largest and most important cemetery ever excavated in Savoie. The Merovingian dynasty was a Frankish kingdom that existed from the mid-5th century until 751 AD. Around 500 AD, King Clovis I of this dynasty began to convert to Christianity.

The archaeological team found that the skeletons inside the tomb were all facing east. This is believed to be part of a Christian burial ritual – placing the deceased facing Jerusalem. This represents a shift from the earlier practice of burying multiple people in a single tomb.

"The arm bones protrude slightly and point inward. There was definitely a wooden wall holding the deceased in an unstable balance," commented Jean-Luc Gisclon, an archaeologist and anthropologist at INRAP.

The team of experts also discovered that the skeletons were buried with very few belongings, hardly any clothing at all. Therefore, they believe that the deceased were stripped naked before burial.

"There were a few clothes and ornaments, but they were really insignificant compared to the number of dead. This makes it difficult to determine their social class. Whether rich or poor, old or young, they were all stripped naked before death," said Julien Blanco, another archaeologist and anthropologist at INRAP.

INRAP scientists hope to further study the cemetery in Savoie and use their findings to better understand the ancient people, including their beliefs and daily lives.

Thu Thao (According to Newsweek )

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