Mystery of the of 17th-century man who was buried face down with a purse of different currencies: Swiss skeleton find baffles archaeologists

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In 2013, researchers uncovered the site of an ancient cemetery in Switzerland dating back to the early Middle Ages, with 342 bodies laid to rest between the 8th and 17th centuries.

But, buried slightly apart from the rest, the archaeologists made a bizarre discovery – a skeleton lying face-down in its grave.

Through X-ray analysis of a purse found alongside the body, researchers have determined that the man may have been a traveling merchant buried in haste after death from disease or even murder.

buried slightly apart from the rest, the archaeologists made a bizarre discovery at the site of an ancient cemetery in Switzerland– a skeleton lying face-down in its grave. X-ray analysis of a purse found alongside the body suggests the man may have been a traveling merchant

The cemetery was discovered in the Bernese Lakeland region during early construction on a new underground garage beside a churchyard in the village of Schüpfen.

Researchers say the face-down skeleton was among the last 15 bodies of the 342 to be buried at the site.

According to Christian Weiss, a numismatic expert with the Archaeological Services of Canton Bern, this type of burial is ‘quite unusual.’

Alongside the body, researchers also found a knife and the remains of a purse, containing several coins that had merged into a single block of metal over the years.

As these coins were far too fragile to separate, the team used a high resolution detector and a new instrument known as the µDETECT – an x-ray computer tomograph – to take precise measurements of the artefacts.

‘The block of coins isn’t very big but it absorbs a great deal of energy, so we needed a very powerful source of x-rays,’ says Mathieu Plamondon, one of Empa’s x-ray specialists.

‘We didn’t know how well it would work though, because it was the very first time we had made a measurement with the new instrument.’

Alongside the body, researchers also found a knife and the remains of a purse, containing several coins that had merged into a single block of metal over the years, pictured 

As these coins were far too fragile to separate, the team used a high resolution detector and a new instrument known as the µDETECT – an x-ray computer tomograph – to take precise measurements of the artefacts. An x-ray image showing the first details is pictured 

The analysis revealed 24 individual coins in the ancient block of metal.

Some were stamped on one side, and others on both, and some coins were made of two different kinds of metal.

And, one was made of pure silver.

By virtually manipulating the data from the x-rays, the researcher was able to reveal the embossed images and text on the coins.

The most recent one dates to 1629, indicating the man was buried during the 17th century, and several coins could be traced to different areas of distinct local circulation.

The first images taken through conventional x-rays revealed little about the coins, as seen above. ‘The block of coins isn’t very big but it absorbs a great deal of energy, so we needed a very powerful source of x-rays,’ said Mathieu Plamondon, one of Empa’s x-ray specialists

By virtually manipulating the data from the x-rays, the researcher was also able to reveal the embossed images and text on the coins. The most recent was dates to 1629, indicating the man was buried during the 17th century, and the coins could be traced to various areas

‘It is possible he was a traveling merchant,’ Weiss explains, ‘because we found coins in the purse from the Fribourg-Bern-Solothurn, Basel-Freiburg in Breisgau and Luzern-Schwyz regions.’

‘Taken together, the coins are really just small change. There is nothing in the purse equivalent in value to, say, a hundred franc note today.’

Despite the low value of the coins, the researcher says it is unlikely the man was robbed before his death – but, they say murder is not yet off the table.

Several theories have attempted to explain the mysterious circumstances leading to this unusual burial, and archaeologists say it may have been done in a hurry.

This may have been the result of an infectious disease or even murder in an act of revenge, prompting immediate burial.