Notre-Dame Repair Crews Discover an Ancient Graveyard With a Sealed Sarcophagus
Repair crews at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, which tragically caught fire in 2019, discovered an ancient graveyard filled with tombs, including a “completely preserved, human-shaped sarcophagus made of lead,” reports Barbie Latza Nadeau of the Daily Beast. The sarcophagus was buried below the central nave, where crews were digging footing holes for the scaffolding needed to reconstruct the cathedral’s roof and spire that collapsed during the fire.
Archaeologists working at the site confirmed the finding, according to a statement from France’s culture ministry. In addition to the tombs and coffin, archaeologists also unearthed painted sculptures including the bust of an unidentified bearded man, carved hands and vegetables, parts of the original 13th-century rood screen—an ornate partition that separates the altar area from the nave,—as well as remnants of a 19th-century brick pipe underground heating system, reports the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The lead sarcophagus had buckled from the weight of the church above it but was still sealed per the Daily Beast. The culture ministry noted that the excavation site was under a stony layer that dates from the 18th century but that beneath it were levels that dated to as early as the 13th century, reports Lucien Libert for Reuters.
Using a tiny endoscopic camera, the team was able to peer into the sarcophagus and examine their find, described as being “of remarkable scientific quality” by France’s culture ministry. The body inside appears to be perfectly mummified, and archaeologists believe it was likely a senior dignitary buried in the 14th century, about 100 years after the construction of the cathedral, per the Daily Beast. “You can glimpse pieces of fabric, hair and a pillow of leaves on top of the head, a well-known phenomenon when religious leaders were buried,” Christophe Besnier, the lead archaeologist, tells AFP. “The fact that these plant elements are still inside means the body is in a very good state of conservation.”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/notre-dame-repair-crews-discover-an-ancient-graveyard-with-a-sealed-sarcophagus-180979809/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Lead is essentially transparent to neutrons; hydrogen-rich organic materials are, in contrast, relatively opaque. The technique has been widely used in archaeology, so ... what's the hold up here ? Instead, they poked a hole in something that has been sealed from outside air for centuries.
I've never seen neutron tomography used, but this is a case that begs for it. Also some scrolls which are too fragile to open.
a corsage imaged by neutrons
a long-buried rifle, ditto. The bottommost picture is an X-ray, clearly showing the lead bullet (ball). The neutron images show mud and gunpowder in the barrel, but the lead ball is invisible!
https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/231615/view/neutron-radiograph-of-candlestick-behind-wall
The oldest, best known image (AFAIK) of neutron radiography. Why this isn't public domain, I don't know.