12th Century Mass Grave Found in Burial Shaft at Leicester Cathedral
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="schema:primaryImageOfPage og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/Leic1.jpg?itok=whZfzxZQ"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/Leic1.jpg?itok=whZfzxZQ" width="610" height="357" alt="The interior gardens at Leicester Cathedral." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="schema:description content:encoded"><div>Just last month, after the fanfare of the inauguration of a new visitors recreational area at historic Leicester Cathedral, a rather gruesome discovery emerged from gardens located just a few meters away. A narrow vertical shaft with the remains of 123 men, women, and children was uncovered, during ongoing excavations that have been continuing on Cathedral grounds for quite some time.</div>
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<div>This is one of the largest ancient burials ever found in the UK, and the biggest that has ever been recovered in the vicinity of
Leicester Cathedral, where excavations have unearthed many other gravesites over the years. This particular mass grave has been dated to the 12th century, and as of now the cause of death of all these ancient inhabitants of
Leicester remains unknown.</div>
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<iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="480" longdesc="How do you bury a medieval king? Richard III at Leicester Cathedral" scrolling="no" src="
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<h2>Starvation and Pestilence: Indeed the Dark Ages!</h2>
<p>When the archaeologists first found the shaft with all the bodies inside, their first thought was that some kind of ancient massacre had occurred. But after completing their initial examination of the skeletal remains, they could find no evidence of wounds or other signs of damage that might indicate mass murder.</p>
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