In the grave of the 1600s they found the remains of about 100 children with coins in their mouths

Archaeologists in Poland found the tomb, with 115 bodies, most of them children, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Analysis of the remains allowed to identify that several of them had put coins in their mouths that were issued between the years 1587 and 1632.

This particular practice could be a sign of their beliefs, which refers to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

“The coins are called ‘Obolos de los Muertos’ or ‘Obolos de Caronte’. It is an old pre-Christian tradition that has been maintained for a long time,” said one of the officials.

This term refers to the custom of placing a coin, above or inside the mouth, as a payment to Charon, a boatman in charge of transporting souls to the world of the dead through a river, according to Greek and Latin beliefs.

“Even in the 19th century, it was practiced by Pope Pius IX,” added the expert.

Investigators concluded that this makeshift cemetery belonged to a Catholic Church and, after the exhumation, the bodies will be returned for burial in a local pantheon.

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