1000-year-old skeleton found tangled in fallen tree roots


COLLOONEY, Dublin — Archaeologists in Ireland discovered a human skeleton tangled in the roots of a downed tree.

Using carbon dating, archaeologists determined the skeleton is that of a young man, likely buried during the early medieval period approximately 1,000 years ago.

According to Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services, the man “suffered a violent death.” Scientists noted that the injuries to the ribs and the hand were likely inflicted by a knife.

SLAS wrote that the man had been given a formal Christian burial.

“As excavations go, this was certainly an unusual situation,” Dr. Marion Dowd told the Irish Times. “This burial gives us an insight into the life and tragic death of a young man in medieval Sligo.”

Archaeologists are still analyzing the skeletal remains. No other remains were found nearby.
