More than 350 bodies have been dug up from beneath Leith's Constitution Street as part of the Trams to Newhaven project in the last six months.
In a fascinating video blog, City of Edinburgh Council archaeologist John Lawson revealed that 355 burials have excavated from the medieval graveyard since the summer.
When this phase of the project got underway in June, only around 200 bodies were expected to be found – so the numbers recovered have far exceeded the expectations of those involved in the dig.
The graveyard is thought to date back to the 1300s, but construction of the new tram line required an excavation due to the taking down of an existing wall near South Leith Parish Church.
The fact that the graveyard extended underneath Constitution Street only became known in 2008 during previous tram investigation works, and Mr Lawson hopes that the latest discoveries can tell us even more about Edinburgh's fascinating history.
So hundreds of bodies have been dug up - what happens to them now?
The excavation of the medieval graveyard concluded at the end of November, and work will now begin on compiling full forensic reports. This could take at least a year to complete.
Mr Lawson previously said that teams would be trying to establish exactly when the bodies date to, while also trying to establish where the individuals came from. The findings could help write a new chapter in the story of Leith.
He said: "We'll be looking at pathology. We have broken bones, diseases, stature, we can tell a lot about the diet as well so we might do some isotopic work through that, so some of that is quite exciting because it actually tells us where people came from.
"When we did it initially we found out that most of the people behind us were local, from either Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Forth Valley.
"But as a port, where are all the foreigners? Do we have a lot of stayers? It would be really exciting if we found evidence of a lot of trade with the Baltic States, northern Europe, Scandinavia, even into Spain and France. So, can we find or do we have any evidence for these traders and people settling in Leith."
There have been other findings which tell us a lot about the area. Bones belonging to a whale, which may have been brought home as trophies, have been discovered along with parts of a old road beneath on Leith Walk.
What next for the tram project?
Constitution Street was one of the first roads to close as part of the Trams to Newhaven project, but works are ongoing in other parts of Leith right now too.
Parts of Leith Walk are off-limits to motorists, while teams are also making progress at the Newhaven end of the line and near the Ocean Terminal.
Those at the Trams to Newhaven project confirmed this week that survey works would be taking place on Elm Row, Montgomery Street, McDonald Road, Iona Street and Lorne Street.
The extended network will see new tram stops put in place at Picardy Place, McDonald Road, Balfour Street, Foot of the Walk, The Shore, Port of Leith, Ocean Terminal and Newhaven.
It is hoped that the project will be completed in time for passengers to board Leith tram services in 2023.
