The professionals want to open it as soon as possible. The sarcophagus was found by workers in March of this year during preparatory work for the reconstruction of the ancient tower of the 12th-century Gothic monument, which burned down three years ago and is therefore being renovated.
The well-preserved sarcophagus was found 20 meters underground, among the brick pipes of a 19th-century heating system, French archaeologists announced recently, according to France24
However, it is believed to be much older, probably from the 14th century.
The researchers have already looked into the sarcophagus with the help of an endoscopic camera and discovered the upper part of a skeleton, a pillow made of leaves, tissue and as yet unidentified objects.
The find will be brought out of Notre Dame on Tuesday
As the article revealed, the sarcophagus is currently being kept in a safe place, will be taken out of the cathedral on Tuesday and will be taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the city of Toulouse as soon as possible. According to the plans, forensic experts and scientists in the city will open the sarcophagus and examine its contents. Among other things, they want to determine the gender and previous state of health of the skeleton, as well as the social rank of the deceased, but they will probably also perform an age determination on it.
Lead archaeologist Christophe Besnier said the sarcophagus was found under a mound with furniture dating back to the 14th century, adding that if it turns out to be a medieval sarcophagus, "we are dealing with an extremely rare burial custom . " .
Featured image: Screenshot
