Tomb number 2 of the Church of St. Michael in Mornago (Varese, Italy). Anthropological and archaeological study of medieval funeral remains

The current paper aims to present the archaeological and anthropological results of the investigation conducted on a medieval burial which presents several features that recall the Longobard culture. After the archaeological evaluations on the architectural morphology of the tomb and on the grave goods, we proceeded with the anthropological investigations on human and animal bone remains. These analyses allowed us to formulate a hypothesis related to this particular funeral ritual from ancient Longobard tradition. The tomb number 2 of St. Michael church in Mornago represents a rare evidence of inhumation with bird in Northern Italy.