Archaeologists Discovered A Bizarre Burial In A Remote Medieval Graveyard

Experts discovered a perfectly carved burial hidden in the dirt in the contents of which were certainly not human a three-week archaeological investigation in the English Channel took a curious, incomprehensible turn. The ancient remains of a medieval porpoise buried in the earth were discovered in September 2017 on the little island of Chapelle Dom Hue off the coast of Guernsey, and archaeologists were at a struggle to describe the story behind this unusual animal tomb.

The issue is heightened by the manner in which the animal was buried, which suggests the dead porpoise was not merely buried underground. Instead, it appears to have been laid to rest, with the body positioned east to west as per Christian tradition and the grave itself carefully dug to suggest it was intended as a somber resting place.

Since the island is supposed to have been a religious retreat for monks seeking shelter, de Jersey believed to discover the remains of a medieval monk in the tomb. However, after observing alterations in the soil that indicated the presence of burial beneath, the researchers discovered the juvenile porpoise's skull, which they believe has been entombed alongside the graves of other monks since the 14th century.

Considering porpoises were eaten in medieval times, it's probable that the porpoise was killed for food. Assuming the case, the researchers believe it would have provided more reason for people to rid of the remains in the sea, which is only 10 meters, 32 feet away from the site, and encircled on all sides by water.

According to de Jersey, they were in a church and discovered something like this, they would assume it was a grave cut. One theory is that the animal was killed for sustenance and stored neatly until it was required, but the preserved bones were never used. He said that the dolphin has a significant religious meaning in Christianity, but he has never heard of anything like this. That's the kind of little odd item you'd find in the Iron Age though not in the Middle Ages.

The porpoise bones were discovered and transferred from their resting place, where they would be analyzed by a marine expert. De Jersey, for one, claims it's the oddest discovery of his 35-year career as a scientist, and a true enigma for the ages.

In a close interview with the BBC in late 2018, de Jersey said he now believes the animal was most likely held for food purposes, but that we'd never know for sure because so little of Chapelle Dom Hue remains.