The dancing skeleton (Photo: Andrey Ilyinsky/The Siberian Tim). A bizarre medieval skeleton has been unearthed in Siberia by archaeologists who’ve branded it the ‘Dark Ages dancer’. Archaeologists say they are “amazed” by the skeleton’s pose, believed to be from between the seventh and ninth century AD. 
The dancer is believed to have been aged around 30 when he died. But experts fear there may be a sinister explanation to his strange posture in his grave – that for unknown reasons his body was tied up when it was buried. Archaeologist Denis Volkov, 35, told The Siberian Times : “He was laid to rest on his back, with his legs looking as if he was dancing.
“His feet were crossed and knees wide open. “None of the known burial ceremonies include this position of a body.” Nicknamed Mikhail by archaeologists, he said: “We were struck by his unusual position.
“The man was lying on his back, his legs were slightly crossed at his feet. “And his arms were crossed around his pelvis. “We talked to forensic experts, anthropologists, and it was clear that if his legs were not tied, then his extremities would have straightened. “Most likely, his arms were tied too.”
Yet there are no examples of other human remains being tethered in Siberian graves from this era. He is the exception in another way at the Ust-Ivanovka burial site in the Primorsky region of the Russian Far East.
Other bones here belong to medieval geriatrics, people who had lived unusually long lives for the time, with ages ranging between 50 and 70. The “dancer’s” grave was rectangular, and covered in white sand which was not local, while others were circular.
By: mirror.co.uk
