http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/03/03/orig-mclaughlin-200-skeletons-found-paris.cnn

Archaeologists dug the ancient skeletons that were beneath a supermarket in the French Capital. The cause of all these skeletons in one place, may have been a “mass mortality” caused by the Bubonic plague.

Archaeologists in Paris have found the skeletal remains of 200 individuals laid out neat rows in a communal grave. The site, was once the cemetery of a hospital that operated from the 12th to 17th Century, and now is a supermarket. Experts believe they are victims of sudden illness, which resembles an outbreak of Bubonic plague and could be useful for historians studying medieval burials. Eight mass graves have been discovered so far, seven small plots and a much larger one, of which 150 skeletons have already been extracted.

“What is surprising is that the bodies were not thrown into the graves but placed there with care. The individuals – men, women and children – were placed head to toe no doubt to save space,” said archeologist Isabelle Abadie.

Carbon dating will be carried out to determine when the mass burial took place. Fragments of medieval ceramics were found among the bones along with pottery dating from more recent times. Preliminary analysis has not shown signs of disease or injury. The archaeologists will try to extract DNA samples in hopes of revealing the presence of fatal pathogens. Other tests will be performed to determine their relative state of nourishment, or whether they had repetitive strain injuries from hard labor, among other tests.

This is important to government because this subject could be added to history. Property is shown also because the owners of the Monoprix market, gave the government 20 days to do their search then the store would keep their renovation as scheduled. This shows that they own the  market and therefore are giving permission to the government to do the investigation to reveal the truth of what really happened to the skeletons, and be added to history.