Earlier this year, a British rail project announced that it uncovered the skeletons of people who may have been victims of the Black Death (bubonic plague) about 700 years ago. According to a recent National Public Radio article, the 13 skeletons were found about eight feet under a road in central London during a land survey for a new rail line. The company involved in the project believes that, based on historical records, up to 50,000 people could be buried in the area.
Because the project involved underground tunneling, the company hired archeologists to assist with any discoveries. Items found so far include 55 million-year-old amber, bones of prehistoric animals, Roman remains, and human remains from the ‘Bedlam’ psychiatric hospital, among other things.
These skeletons will be moved to the Museum of London Archaeology for DNA testing and to help scientists learn more about the plague.
These discoveries follow recent confirmation that the remains of King Richard III were found under a British parking lot last year. Richard III was England’s king from 1483 to 1485, and died during the Battle of Bosworth Field (which essentially ended the Wars of the Roses).
