Discovered close to the partially restored Baska Castle, the grisly find was made after a storm ripped through the region. In the clear-up that followed, workers were startled to note two skulls staring out from an upended tree.

Now, the bones will undergo forensic examination to determine their age while the wider area will be searched to ensure no other remains lie undiscovered.

According to Maris Skanis, the director of the Bauska Castle Museum, the remains could relate to one of the 20th-century wars, or even date to more ancient times.

Archaeologists have now traveled to Bauska to see for themselves.
Sandra Zirne from the National Cultural Heritage organization said: “The place must be seen in person as we should not draw conclusions from pictures alone.”

Zirne added that it would not be unusual for a tree to grow through a set of ancient remains. She stressed, however, the delicate process that would now be needed to extract all of the bones. “They can’t just be ripped out,” she said, “or else that could destroy them.”

The castle nearby was originally built between the 15th and 16th centuries and was constructed to safeguard the border with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Ransacked in the 17th and 18th centuries, parts of it have since been restored.