A recent research purports to explain why Bishop of Lund Peder Pedersen Winstrup had stillborn remains positioned beneath and between his calves.
Image F shows the location of the fetus in the coffin.
In the 17th century, Winstrup was bishop of the Churches of Sweden and Denmark.
After his death at the age of 74 in 1679, he was mummified and interred in a family crypt in Sweden’s Lund Cathedral.
Archaeologists were stunned to discover a five- or six-month-old fetus buried between the bishop’s knees when they had the opportunity to analyze his remains in 2012.
The infant’s bones were presumably concealed under the legs and inside the coffin’s liner, as if someone did not want people to discover.
It is believed that the embryo was Winstrup’s grandchild. attribution: Lund University
Archaeologically, this form of burial is not uncommon if it is coupled with female bones, and there are more instances at Lund Cathedral.
Experts were perplexed by the choice to deposit a fetus with the bishop.
Archaeologist Torbjorn Ahlstrom, who participated in the latest discovery, said, “It was normal for tiny children to be buried alongside adults.
Bishop passed away in 1679Credit: Corbis
“It is possible that the fetus was put in the coffin after the burial, when it was in a vaulted grave in Lund Cathedral and hence accessible.
“It is one thing to place a coffin in a vault, but quite another to place a fetus in the bishop’s coffin.
It made us question whether or not the youngster was related to the bishop.
The embryo was concealed and remained undiscovered for centuries. Thanks to Rex
Both the feotus and the bishop provided DNA samples, and a 25% match was established.
The study team decided that the fetus was most likely the bishop’s grandson.
The two bodies share a Y chromosome that can only be transmitted by fathers.
This prompted specialists to conclude that the stillborn infant was Winstrup’s grandson.
We are aware that the bishop had one surviving son from his first marriage.
His name was Peder Pedersen Winstrup.
According to historical sources, he married a rich lady named Dorothea Sparre, but they lost everything when the Swedish government seized territory granted to the aristocracy.
No offspring are known to have been born to the young Winstrup, therefore the lineage ended with him.
The fetus may have been placed in the coffin of his father as a symbolic gesture.
The researchers noted in their paper: “Based on the findings of the [ancient DNA] investigation and the genealogy, Peder Winstrup’s son was the only individual who could give a second-degree paternal related to Peder Winstrup.
“The fetus of a boy put in the casket may thus be the bishop’s grandchild.
“It appears likely that family would have had access to the vault where the Winstrups’ coffins were housed, and hence would have had the opportunity to place the fetus in one of the coffins, in this instance Peder Winstrup’s.”
In other news, an uncovered stone tablet from the Bronze Age may represent the first map of Europe.
The Bronze Age Britons converted human skulls into pots and drinking cups as recently as 4,000 years ago.
And, the graves of fifty slaves who were compelled to construct a luxurious Roman home in the United Kingdom have been discovered.
What are your thoughts on the fetus mystery? Please tell us in the comments.
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