Excarnation burial ritual practiced across Mediterranean for over 5,000 years

May 10, 2026General

Source: No Bones, No Answers: The Strange People Who Built Mallorca's Walls by One-eyed giant building walls

Excarnation (removing flesh, storing clean bones) was practiced across the Mediterranean for over 5,000 years. Sardinia shows this from 1,800 BC, Croatia from 2,000–1,700 BC, the Alps from 2,500–2,000 BC, and Malta from 3,500–2,500 BC. This widespread practice may explain why skeletal remains are rare.

Key facts

Excarnation (removing flesh, storing clean bones) was practiced across the Mediterranean
Menorca practiced excarnation around 1,200-700 BC
Sardinia (Tombs of Giants) practiced excarnation 1,800-400 BC
Croatia (Monk Donja) practiced excarnation 2,000-1,700 BC
Remedello culture in the Alps practiced this 2,500-2,000 BC
Malta temple builders practiced this 3,500-2,500 BC
In Mallorca, excarnated bones placed in caves, natural or enlarged by excavation

Sources

Excarnation | Steve A. Wigginssteveawiggins.com

This practice is arguably the most natural way of disposing of human remains, but it's distasteful to many people. Who wants to be eaten? Unless ...

Vindija | Neanderthal Remains, Croatia - Britannicabritannica.com

Vindija, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region of Croatia, known for Neanderthal remains found there in the 1970s.

Anthropological individualization of relics from sarcophagus stored ...academia.edu

Aim: To develop a methodology for the estimation of the preservation of human skeletal remains-the relics in the Vodnjan assembly; ...

Monkodonja - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

Monkodonja is a Bronze Age hillfort located near the city of Rovinj-Rovigno in the Croatian region of Istria. It was occupied between about 1850/1750 and 1500/ ...

Dying Monk Granted Wish: Calif. Gov. Signs Burial Bill - NBC Bay Areanbcbayarea.com

A 76-year-old monk dying of cancer can now be buried at his beloved monastery, thanks to a bill OK'd by California's governor, ...

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