Ancient Skeletons Found Facing West Near Dijon Playground

In Eastern France, a series of unsettling discoveries have emerged, centered around the city of Dijon. Most recently, schoolchildren found an ancient skeleton seated upright in a pit, remarkably well-preserved and facing directly west, near the Josephine Baker primary school. This marks the third such discovery in Dijon, with a total of seventeen circular graves found to date.

These graves contain skeletons buried in an identical, seated position. The latest find, along with thirteen others unearthed in February 2023 and four more earlier this month, are believed to date back to the second Iron Age, specifically between 300BC and 200BC. Archeologists are exploring potential links to Celtic punishments, especially since some of the unearthed bodies displayed signs of violence, with one even suffering a fatal skull wound.

Further analysis by experts is underway, including theories that the victims might have been buried alive due to their precise seating arrangement. The skeletons found, with one exception of a small child, are all identified as adult males, ranging from 5ft 3in to 5ft 10in in height. The significance of their consistent westward orientation and the exact burial method remains a mystery.