Archaeologists have been wondering for three decades why a gravesite in northern Finland bears all the signs that point to it being a graveyard yet no corpses could be found. The Tainiaro site was first discovered in 1959, but it wasn't until 1984 when the first archaeologists visited it for research.
When they went to study the area, they found thousands of artifacts and as many as 127 pits that seemed to have been dug out for burial. However, having found no traces of bones or other human remains, they simply concluded that the holes were there as part of a ritual of some sort.
Now, a new team of archaeologists led by Aki Hakonen have found the reason why no human remains were left in the graves. They conducted a soil test which showed that the soil was acidic to the point that even human bones would dissolve over time. This would also explain why many artifacts remained, since these were more difficult to break down.
To confirm their hypothesis, the team suggested conducting more tests to see if there's any residue of human DNA. If DNA is found, then the Tainiaro would be one of the largest burial sites in Northern Europe.
(Image credit: Tuija Laurén; Finnish Heritage Agency; Antiquity Publications Ltd)