Archaeologists in Quedlinburg, Germany, have unearthed numerous skeletal remains at the site of an old gallows in Galgenberg, just north of the Harz Mountains.
Used for public executions between 1662 and 1809, this site is one of the limited sources on early modern European penal and burial practices. The gallows, a wooden structure consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal beam, was a common form of capital punishment throughout Europe in the Middle Ages and early modern period. Executions were held in public to emphasize legal authority and deter potential criminals.
Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt have unearthed numerous human bones during excavations at the gallows site in Galgenberg. In particular, pits filled with skeletal remains are considered concrete evidence of mass executions. Many of the prisoners were hastily buried, often without individual graves.
One of the more intriguing finds is a wooden coffin containing a skeleton and a rosary. This burial is notable because it appears to be unrelated to gallows executions. Archaeologists suggest that the individual may have been a suicide victim. In Christian Europe, suicide was considered a sin, so those who committed suicide were often denied burial in consecrated ground. Instead, they were often buried near the execution sites, in threshold areas, or in remote areas.
Another interesting discovery is the so-called “revenant grave”. In European folklore, revenants are corpses believed to rise from their graves to haunt the living. The revenant grave in question contained the skeleton of a man lying on his back with large stones placed across his chest. This burial method was probably designed to prevent the deceased from rising as a revenant. In many European cultures, revenants were often associated with people who died an unnatural death, such as suicide victims, witches, or those possessed by evil spirits. The practice of placing stones over the corpse was carried out to immobilize the body and prevent it from returning.
Social Reflections of Public Executions
Public executions were not limited to maintaining legal order, but also played an important role in maintaining social and moral order. In early modern Europe, executions were often carried out in high, public places. It is clear that these executions and the way in which criminals were punished demonstrated the effects of crime and the power of the state. Such organizations were intended to remind society that justice had been served and that there was no question of the state’s authority.
However, the places where criminals were buried after their execution were also significant. The location of the grave and the way the body was buried reflected the social status of the deceased. After public executions, some criminals were buried in mass graves without any ceremony. These mass graves are seen as an indication of the low esteem in which criminals were held in society.
