Archaeologists have unearthed 78 skeletons and delimited the ancient medieval and modern cemetery of Sant Julià de Ramis (Girona). The excavation campaign at Sants Medges has focused on one end of the old Sagrera, the 30-step perimeter that surrounds the church.
The excavation, carried out by archaeologists from the University of Girona, has focused on an area of about 50 square meters located in the southern part of the church, just outside where the 19th century cemetery fence used to be. This area was where the limits of the old Sagrera were and it began to host burials from the 13th and 14th centuries. That is, at the end of the Middle Ages.
"The research has allowed us to document an era that until now had remained somewhat hidden from us, which corresponds to the late medieval period and the modern age," says one of the co-directors of the excavation, Jordi Vivo. Since the campaign began, the UdG archaeologists have already found 78 skeletons here.
However, many of the skeletons do not appear whole, most are superimposed. "As the space for burials was relatively limited, it was reused time after time when there was a need to open new graves," explains Vivo.
The anthropologist Neus Coromina, who is also co-directing the excavation, links the findings of women and children in this part of the cemetery to the fact that it is the furthest from the church, because next to it was where the most important people in the community were buried, especially men.
“We knew that infant mortality was high both in the Middle Ages and in the modern age, but until now this was not evident in the cemetery. Having gone beyond the limits of what is known is precisely what allows us to recover the skeletons ”, she specifies.
The UdG archaeologists have also discovered two skulls pierced by blunt objects and a skeleton of a boca terrosa. It is the first to be found in Sants Metges. "Surely, he had some mental illness or some other condition that led him to bury him like this," explains Coromina.
A priori, during the field work, the UdG archaeologists have also seen that, with the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern age, living conditions did not improve. "What's more, they got worse," says the co-director. The skeletons will be examined to try to find out the cause of death, the approximate age and, through isotope analysis, some traits about their diet.
The fact that the mountain of Sant Julià de Ramis was already occupied centuries before it became a cemetery means that as they dig, archaeologists come across encounters from different eras. Among the oldest encounters of this year, a fragment of fretwork, an Iberian ceramic vase, or a bronze coin with the image of a winged horse Pegasus can be glimpsed. Initially, the UdG archaeologists date them from the 2nd century BC. In addition, two stones have appeared that were used to grind grain and that could be from before that time.
From the Middle Ages, a fragment of a pot, medieval ceramic pieces and animal remains have been found that can provide new information about food. And already in modern times, different pieces of enameled ceramic have appeared next to coffin keys or a lead staple.
Neus Coromina highlights the trousseau that accompanied the skeleton of a soldier, which was originally dated from the 18th century. At this time, after the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation implied changes in religious rituals. For example, that the deceased be buried with a rosary. In the case of the skeleton of the soldier, a rosary has been found between the hands and several buttons. Some are from his shirt and others from his outfit, such as a star-studded glass button with a 27 engraved on it.
The excavation campaign in the Sants Metges will end this Friday. In parallel to Vivo and Coromina, it is also co-directed by the archaeologists Josep Burch and Jordi Sagrera. In addition to drawing the limit of the old medieval cemetery, part of another area already explored in previous years has also been excavated. In this case, what has been done is to disassemble some medieval remains to delve into the previous stratigraphy "and see the Visigothic structures more precisely," concludes Jordi Vivo.
