Bodies were discovered inside of amphorae, or large jars, from Northern Africa.
The site, on the island of Corsica, is being called a necropolis, taken from the ancient Greek for city of the dead.
Corsica passed under the control of many different civilizations in the first half of the first millennium.
While artifacts found in the excavation appear to be of Roman origin, experts caution they could have been repurposed by Visigoths or later inhabitants.
Archaeologists in France have uncovered a massive cemetery containing 40 tombs dating from the first half of the first millennium. Bodies were discovered inside of amphorae, or large jars, from Northern Africa
Ancient city of the dead with 40 skeletons in ceramic jars found on island
Archaeologists say 1,700-year-old ceramic jars discovered behind a parish church were used as receptacles for the deceased in a new clue over Corsica s blood-splattered past
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As the excavation of individual tombs continued, the archaeologists discovered something quite remarkable. Rather than being buried in coffins, the majority of the skeletons had been entombed inside a type of tall, sturdy, ceramic jar known as amphorae.
These seaworthy jars functioned primarily as containers of both liquid and dry consumer goods. They were used to store products that were imported to Corsica from Carthage (modern-day Tunisia) between the fourth and seventh centuries AD. Wine, olive oil , and brine were purchased by Corsicans from Carthaginian merchants in large quantities, which meant there would have been plenty of amphorae available to be repurposed as final resting places for the deceased.