A cemetery discovered beside a church in Ghent’s Flax Market may contain as many as 240 burials, according to reporting by VRT News cited by Archaeology Magazine. The find emerged during preparatory archaeological work for a resurfacing project, when specialists tested the area to determine whether it was suitable for planting a tree.
The excavation exposed four skeletons. Based on the remains and the cemetery’s layered deposits, archaeologists estimate that as many as 240 people could have been buried at the location across five different levels. The burials are thought to span the period from the eleventh to the eighteenth century.
The discovery has halted the immediate plans for the site. Excavation work has been put on hold, and the tree will not be planted. The available report does not provide further details about the individuals buried there, the church, or the methods used to estimate the cemetery’s full size.
Because only four skeletons were uncovered during the reported testing, the estimate of up to 240 burials remains an archaeological assessment rather than a confirmed total. Further investigation would be needed to establish the cemetery’s extent and clarify its chronology.
