A shopping center is rising on top of an ancient cemetery in Järva‑Jaani
Archaeological rescue excavations behind the Järva‑Jaani cemetery wall in central Estonia, where a shopping center expansion is being built, uncovered a cemetery with multiple layers of burials.
The site was hiding some prehistoric cremation graves. A previously unknown early Iron Age settlement site was also found.
The rescue excavations behind the Järva‑Jaani churchyard wall have been underway for a month. Osteologist Martin Malve said that because construction crews carried out digging near the churchyard in winter, human bones went unnoticed. Several layers of burials were dug through.
"They likely dug through prehistoric cremation burials as well. The grave fill of people buried in the 18th century is full of burned bones," Malve said.
The surprises in Järva‑Jaani do not end there.
"In one part of the same cemetery, an early Iron Age settlement site has also been preserved — dating from 1500 years B.C. to A.D. 50 — and it is again very multilayered," Malve added.
After the rescue work, the builder will separate the cemetery and the shopping center area with a concrete barrier. But because large amounts of soil were removed during construction, part of the archaeologically valuable material has been destroyed.
"Dozens of the dead were unfortunately taken away during construction, and at the moment we see that at least fifty skeletons have been damaged from above," the osteoarchaeologist said.
Malve said it is common in Estonia that cemetery walls were built only in the 19th century, and some burials could remain outside the wall.
"The project came to us for approval, and we approved it to the best of our knowledge, believing there were no burials outside the churchyard. We assumed that because a smaller study had been done earlier and no bones were found outside the churchyard wall. Based on that, our condition for approval was that builders remain attentive and notify us if anything appears," said Krista Karro, adviser on natural sacred sites and archaeology at the National Heritage Board.
Karro said no rules were directly violated.
"Bones appeared, and they were not noticed immediately. It is natural that ordinary people do not recognize them. Someone eventually did notice, informed us, and from there we were able to proceed," Karro said.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Argo Ideon
