Archaeologists have discovered a mass late medieval burial of 20 people in Vianen, the Netherlands. He was spotted supervising the construction of a new city canal.
All the remains belonged to men aged 15-30. No personal belongings were found next to them, only rusty nails, which indicated a possible burial in wooden coffins. Due to the lack of items, the exact age of the find has not yet been established.
Scholars say that the cemetery is located behind the walls of the city castle of Batestein, destroyed by fire in 1696, on the site of castle stables. Because people were buried at the same time, stacked in one place, they could die of plague, cholera, or die in battle.
The last assumption points to the possible 1480s. At that time in Holland there was a civil war between the nobility and the bourgeoisie, known as the struggle of “cod” and “hooks”. However, battles near the castle took place during the Dutch uprising against the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1567 the city was captured by the Spanish army.
Excavations of the burial continue. Archaeologists hope to find more remains and shed light on the time and circumstances of the deaths.
The ruins of a medieval castle were recently excavated on the site of a shopping center in Sheffield, UK. It was established that construction began in 1270. From 1570 to 1584, Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland was imprisoned there.
During the Civil War in the XVII century. the castle belonged to the supporters of the monarchy. In that war, parliament won. In 1646 the castle was ordered to be demolished. Archaeologists have found shoes, knives, coins, cannonballs and crucifixes on the site of the castle.
