Giant plague grave discovered in Nuremberg could be the largest mass burial site EVER seen in Europe – with as many as 1,500 people buried there

By William On Mar 11, 2024

Scientists may have discovered Europe’s largest mass cemetery.

The site in Nuremberg, Germany, contains the bodies of at least a thousand people who died from the bubonic plague, which killed up to 60 percent of Europe’s population.

Experts believe the bodies, described as a ‘nationally significant’ discovery, were buried in the first half of the 17th century after a brutal wave of the disease.

Bubonic plague is spread by the bite of a flea infected with a bacterium called Yersinia pestis.

Those affected died quickly and horribly after an attack of high fever, chills, vomiting, headache, delirium and ‘purulent buboes’ (swelling).

Scientists may have discovered what is the largest mass burial ever seen in Europe: in the city of Nuremberg, Germany

The site was found during excavations in a field prior to the construction of a new retirement home

Nuremberg Mayor Marcus König said the discovery is “of great importance far beyond the region.”

‘The graves contain the remains of children and old people, men and women; the plague did not stop at gender, age or social status,” he said.

‘It goes without saying that this historically and archaeologically important find must be handled carefully and appropriately.’

Melanie Langbein, from Nuremberg’s heritage conservation department, said eight plague pits have been identified, each containing several hundred bodies.

“These people were not buried in a regular cemetery, even though we have designated plague cemeteries in Nuremberg,” Langbein said. CNN.

“This means a large number of dead that had to be buried in a short time, without regard to Christian burial practices.”

Several bones were physically damaged as a result of the bombs that fell on the area during World War II. Mirror reports.

Others are green because waste from a neighboring copper factory is dumped on the site, just as copper jewelry turns the skin green.

Some bodies were clothed or wrapped in cloths when buried, but generally they were pressed tightly into the burial space – a reflection of the high mortality rate from the deadly disease.

The site was found during excavations in a field prior to the construction of a new retirement home in Nuremberg

Bodies were generally squeezed tightly into the cemetery – a reflection of the high mortality rate due to the deadly disease

Some skeletons are green because waste from a neighboring copper mill is dumped on the site, just as copper jewelry turns the skin green

The graves were unearthed during excavations in a field prior to the construction of a new retirement home in Nuremberg.

Although 500 skeletons have been found, one expert believes there could be as many as 2,000, or even more.

“There was no evidence to suggest that burials took place in this field,” said Julian Decker, whose company In Terra Veritas is carrying out the excavation.

‘I personally expect the number to be 2,000 or even higher, making this the largest mass grave in Europe.’

Plague pandemics hit the world in three waves from the 1300s to the 1900s, killing millions of people.

The first wave, called the Black Death in Europe, occurred from 1347 to 1351, while the second saw the emergence of a new strain of the disease in the 16th century and the last spread across Asia in the late 19th century.

Nuremberg experienced plague outbreaks about every ten years from the 14th century onwards, making it challenging to date the newly found remains.

Experts believe the bodies date from a wave of plague that struck Nuremberg between 1632 and 1633.

Pictured shows plague victims being buried during the devastating bubonic plague outbreak that ravaged Europe

Radiocarbon dating – which measures the amount of carbon to provide an estimate of age – was used at a grave site between the late 1400s and early 1600s.

However, the experts discovered a note from 1634 describing a plague outbreak at the site that killed more than 15,000 people between 1632 and 1633.

This led them to the conclusion that these bodies probably came from the plague epidemic of 1632-1633.

Ralf Schekira, director of WBG Group who is working on the new retirement home, said they did not expect such an important find.

“As a developer, we are aware of the importance of archeology and the obligation to carry out such excavations,” he said

‘However, we did not expect such a discovery and will now try to make the best of it.

‘On the one hand, it means that we will do everything we can to adhere to the planning of the retirement home to be built and on the other hand, we will do our part to have the historic find documented.’

The next step is to remove all the skeletons and examine the bones for traces of the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis.

According to a recent study, genes that protect people from the disease have been passed on and increase the risk of Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Bubonic plague is spread by the bite of an infected flea

Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is spread by the bite of an infected flea. The infection spreads to immune glands called lymph nodes, causing them to become swollen and painful and can develop into open sores. Human-to-human transmission of bubonic plague is rare and is usually caused by animals.

When the plague infects the lungs – either through the progression of bubonic plague through the body or by contracting the infection through the breath of an infected patient or an animal – it is called pneumonic plague.

Historically, plague was responsible for widespread pandemics with high mortality rates.

People infected with plague usually develop an acute febrile illness with other nonspecific systemic symptoms after an incubation period of one to seven days, such as sudden onset of fever, chills, head and body aches, and weakness, vomiting, and nausea.

This was known in the fourteenth century as the ‘Black Death’ and caused more than 50 million deaths in Europe.

Today, plague can be easily treated with antibiotics and the use of standard precautions to avoid contracting an infection.

As an animal disease, plague occurs on all continents except Oceania. There is a risk of human pests wherever the presence of natural pest hotspots and human populations coexist.

Plague epidemics have occurred in Africa, Asia and South America; but since the 1990s, most human cases have occurred in Africa.

The three most endemic countries are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Peru. In Madagascar, cases of bubonic plague are reported almost every year, between September and April.

The WHO does not recommend vaccination except for high-risk groups (such as laboratory workers who are constantly exposed to the risk of infection, and healthcare workers).

Source: World Health Organisation