Parts of the burial site were discovered and dated in the 1800s, when the city underwent major building works, but scientists at the time didn't explore the site any further. 13 mummy coffins stacked in a well unearthed in ancient Egyptian necropolis Hundreds of graves reveal Spanish town's secret Muslim history woman was buried facedown with a nail hole in her skull. When they began excavations ahead of planned construction work in the Port-Royal train station, the archeologists had "strong suspicions" they were close to the ancient Saint-Jacques necropolis, Colonna said in a press conference. "Understanding all the steps of burials and funeral rites allows us to better understand the society of the Parisii," Camille Colonna, an archeologist at the INRAP, told France 24. The researchers have removed all the remains and artifacts from the site for analysis. Not all the graves contained human skeletons: One pit seemed reserved for burial offerings and contained the remains of a pig and another, smaller animal. The excavation, which began in March, revealed at least one skeleton with a coin in its mouth, pointing to an ancient funerary practice known as "Charon's obol." In Greek mythology, Charon ferried the souls of the dead across the Styx River and into the underworld in exchange for a bribe, which is why people buried coins alongside bodies, according to an INRAP statement (opens in new tab). Archeologists discovered the graves while undertaking excavations ahead of construction work in the Port-Royal train station.
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