several skeletons found on the construction site of a house in Béthune
About ten skeletons dating from the 18th century were discovered. An archaeological dig listed this week in order to obtain more information on the history of Béthune at that time.
A surprising discovery. Dozens of 300-year-old skeletons were found during excavations carried out on the land bought by a couple to build a house in Béthune,
The land actually corresponds to the site of an old cemetery. An opportunity for archaeologists to obtain more information on the history of Béthune several centuries ago. An archaeological dig has also been carried out this week in this direction.
“We essentially find bones which are in this case in an excellent state of preservation and which will be able to teach us a little more in the laboratory, about the life of the Béthunois between the Middle Ages and the 18th century”, explains William Devriendt, archaeologist and anthropologist at the Béthune Bruay archeology department.
The couple abandons the field
If this discovery delights the archaeologists, the owners of this land Evelyne and Maxime found themselves destitute. Their purchase, which was made a year and a half ago via a property management company, does not allow them to cover the costs of these excavations.
“Archaeological excavations are not supported for companies that have land, which is the case in this case. So if we really wanted to build our house, this incurs costs that are expected to be several hundred thousand euros”, laments Evelyne at the microphone of BFM Lille.
Despite the support of the city, these excavations must definitively block the couple. In the impasse, Evelyne and Maxime finally decided not to build on this land anymore.