The Coffin Birth of Liguria: The Science Behind A Sad Story

Dead Things iconDead Things
By Gemma Tarlach
Apr 3, 2017 5:23 PMOct 16, 2019 2:35 PM
The skeleton of a near-term fetus found in a Black Death-era Italian grave is evidence of a gruesome natural phenomenon called postmortem fetal extrusion, or coffin birth. (Credit Cesana et al 2017/http://doi.org/10.1537/ase.161011)
The skeleton of a near-term fetus found in a Black Death-era Italian grave. (Credit D. Cesana et al 2017)

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For one unfortunate medieval Italian, the cradle was the grave. It’s commonly called coffin birth, though researchers use the terms post-mortem fetal extrusion or expulsion. And yes, it is what you think it is — but the latest case documented by scientists, from 14th century Liguria, reveals there was more to the story.

A re-examination of a medieval grave outside Genoa, Italy, that was first discovered in 2006 has given researchers more information about the individuals buried in it. The grave is dated to the second half of the 14th century, around the time of the Black Death.

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