Basement renovation in home near Paris unearths cemetery spanning 700 years, with Roman-era graves

During a basement renovation project, a homeowner near Paris unexpectedly unearthed a skeleton. The discovery eventually led to the excavation of a cemetery where dozens of people were buried, some of them up to 1,700 years ago.

The oldest grave dates from the third century A.D., during the Late Roman period; and 10 plaster sarcophagi date from the early Merovingian period of Frankish rule, which lasted from roughly 476 to 750.

The most recent grave dates to about the 10th century, which indicates that the cemetery was in use for about 700 years.

Archaeologists originally thought the site was an early medieval graveyard because a seventh-century chapel had once stood in the area. So the existence of even older graves was unexpected, according to a translated statement from the French Archaeology company Archaeodunum, which is carrying out the excavations on behalf of regional authorities.

The homeowner found the first grave this past winter, and archaeologists have now unearthed 38 graves there in a four-room area covering 560 square feet (52 square meters).

Related: Ancient necropolis unearthed just feet away from bustling Paris train station

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Medieval chapel

The house in the Montconseil district of Corbeil-Essonnes, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, is thought to have been built at the site of the medieval Notre-Dame-des-Champs chapel, which in turn is said to have been built above an even older pagan temple honoring a spring.