'Black Death' skeletons unearthed during Crossrail project

More than a dozen skeletons thought to be victims of The Black Death have been unearthed in the City of London during excavation work for the £14.8 billion Crossrail project.

So far the skeletons of 13 adults have been found under Charterhouse Square in Farringdon during excavation work for the £14.8 billion Crossrail project.

Archaeologists made the discovery 8ft (2.4m) below the road that surrounds the gardens in the centre of the square.

They believe there could be as many as 50,000 plague victims buried in the area.

Nick Elsden from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) says that further discoveries are likely.

"The short answer is we don't know just how many skeletons are out there," he said.

Tests will be carried out on the skeletons but experts are linking the discovery with the Black Death as it is known that a burial ground for plague victims was opened in the Farringdon area.

Pottery dated up until 1350 found in the graves by the Crossrail team and the layout of the skeletons all point to them being plague victims.

Once analysis of the bones has been completed, the skeletons will be reburied on the site or at another cemetery.

Around 1.5 million Britons died in the Black Death - more than a third of the population - while about 25 million perished in Europe.

Rephrasing

1. So far the skeletons of 13 adults have been found under Charterhouse Square

So far they ………………………………………………….

2. They believe there could be as many as 50,000 plague victims buried in the area.

It is…………………………………………………………………………………

3. "The short answer is we don't know just how many skeletons are out there," he said.

He said that ……………………………………………………………………….

4. Tests will be carried out

They………………………………………………………….

5. It is known that a burial ground for plague victims was opened in the Farringdon area.

A burial ground………………………………………………………..

Read the text and say if the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE

1. All the skeletons found in the excavation died because of The Black Death.
2. They expect to find ………………………. Skeletons buried in the area.
3. They have found some other things apart from the bodies.
4. The number of Britons who died in The Black Death is a third of the dead in Europe.

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

1. What percentage of British people died in The Black Death? 
2. Where did The Black Death originate? 
3. What do they examine? 
4. Can they tell the age of the people they have found? 
5. What do they study?