Archaeologists excavate 3,000 skeletons from London plague cemetery

Archaeologists in London announced Monday that they are excavating 3,000 skeletons from the Bedlam burial ground. The bodies date to the 16th and 17th centuries, and researchers hope that studying the skeletons will help them understand more about the bubonic plague, which was responsible for many of the deaths.

Even more interesting than the skeletons, though, is the way they were discovered — the bones were in the way of London's new Crossrail transit line, and they were first discovered by a construction crew.

So far, archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology have removed several skeletons, including the remains of a baby. The archaeologists will continue excavating the skeletons for the next four weeks. They will then look for Roman remains at the site — the Crossrail construction is near a Roman road, and the site has already yielded Roman artifacts, including cremation urns and horseshoes.

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After the study is complete, the bodies will be reburied on Canvey Island in the Thames Estuary.