Roman tomb sealed 2,000 years ago to protect the living from the ‘restless dead’ is OPEN
A Roman tomb has been opened in Turkey that was littered with ‘dead nails’ and sealed 2,000 years ago to protect the living from the ‘restless dead’.
Archaeologists believe that the people who closed the vault deliberately threw 41 bent and twisted nails on the ground.
They then sealed it in such a way as to show that they feared the man inside would haunt them, with 24 bricks carefully placed over the still-smoldering fire and a layer of lime plaster over it.
The person – an adult male – was cremated and buried in the same location, which researchers say was an unusual practice during Roman times.
An unusual grave was found at the archaeological site of Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey and dates back to 100-150 AD.
Mystery: A Roman tomb studded with magical ‘dead nails’ and sealed 2,000 years ago has been opened in Turkey to protect the living from the ‘restless dead’.
Excavations: Archaeologists believe that the civilization that closed the vault deliberately left 41 bent and twisted nails on the ground. They also found charred remains of a bone, shards of broken glass, and a 2nd-century AD coin from southern Turkey.
“The burial was closed in not one, not two, but three different ways, which can be understood as attempts to protect the living from the dead – or vice versa,” – the study’s first author Johan Klais, an archaeologist from the Catholic University of Leuven. in Belgium, told Live Science.
While on-site cremation, tiling or plastering and nail-curing are all methods known in Roman-era cemeteries, Mr Clays said the combination of the three had not been seen before.
He added that this suggests a fear of the “restless dead”.
The authors added in their article: “The cremated human remains were not recovered but buried in situ, surrounded by a scattering of deliberately bent nails and carefully sealed under tiles and a layer of lime.
“For each of these practices, textual and archaeological parallels can be found elsewhere in the ancient Mediterranean, collectively suggesting that magical beliefs were at work.”
Traditionally, cremation in Roman times involved a funeral pyre, followed by the collection of the remains, which were placed in an urn and buried in a grave or placed in a mausoleum.
But based on the anatomical arrangement of the remaining bones in Sagalassos, the researchers were able to decipher that this one was installed in situ.
The tomb was sealed in such a way that they feared the person inside would follow them, with 24 bricks placed over the still-smoldering fire and a layer of lime plaster on top of that.
These are fragments of bones found by archaeologists in the tomb.
Unusual practice: among the finds were several bent and twisted nails (pictured)
However, there were still typical funerary objects: a coin, ceramic and glass vessels, fragments of a wicker basket, food remains.
This suggests that the man was loved, the researchers say. They believe he was probably buried by family members, just in an unconventional way that would have taken days to prepare and carry out.
For example, it could have been a form of magical ritual that was “an impromptu response to a supposed ‘unnatural’ illness and death.”
The authors added: “The combination of nails and bricks designed to hold the dead with the sealing effect of lime clearly implies a fear of the restless dead.
This drawing shows where the bone fragments on the skeleton of the dead man were taken from.
An unusual grave was found at the archaeological site of Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey and dates back to 100-150 AD.
Researchers believe the man was likely buried by family members, simply in an unconventional way that would have taken days to prepare and carry out.
While on-site cremation, tiling or plastering, and bent nails are all methods known in Roman-era cemeteries, experts say the combination of the three has never been seen before.
“Whether the cause of death was traumatic, mysterious, or potentially the result of a contagious illness or punishment, it appears to have left the dead with the intent of retribution and the living in fear of the return of the deceased.”
Sagalassos, which was inhabited from the fifth century BC to the 13th century AD, has a number examples of Roman era architecture, including a theater and a bath complex.
When it was abandoned, the city became overgrown with vegetation, which in turn preserved it for several centuries.
new study published in the journal Antiquity.
CRUCIFICATION EXPLANATION: HOW DOES IT PAIN AND WHEN WAS IT USED AS A DEATH PUNISHMENT?
Pictured: 19th century illustration depicting rebels crucified by the Carthaginians in 283 BC.
What is a crucifix?
Crucifixion was an ancient method of punishment, usually associated with the Romans, but also practiced by the Carthaginians, Macedonians, and Persians.
The name of the procedure literally means “attachment to the cross” and is the etymological root of the word “tormenting” – literally the pain is so intense that it seems that it is “because of the crucifixion”.
The victim would eventually die of suffocation or exhaustion, and it was long, drawn out, and painful.
This act was used to publicly humiliate slaves and criminals – to dissuade witnesses from committing such acts – and also as a method of execution for those of very low status or those who had committed a crime against the state.
This is the reason given in the Gospels for the crucifixion of Jesus.
As King of the Jews, Jesus challenged Roman imperial supremacy (Matt. 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).
Crucifixion could be done in many ways.
In the Christian tradition, the nailing of the limbs to the wood of the cross is supposed, with the debate focusing on whether the nails go through the hands or the more structurally strong wrists.
But the Romans did not always nail crucifixion victims to their crosses, but instead sometimes tied them with rope.
Other forms of practice included tying victims to a tree or even impaling them on a stake.
Indeed, the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger wrote that he saw crosses “not only of one kind, but also made in different ways: some of the victims lowered their heads to the ground; some pierce their genitals; others stretch their hands on the gallows.
Until recently, the only archaeological evidence for the practice of nailing crucifixion victims was an ankle bone from the tomb of Yehochanan, a man executed in the first century AD.
Why is there so little evidence for this?
The victims were usually criminals and their bodies were often dumped in landfills, which meant that archaeologists would never see their bones.
Identification is even more difficult due to scratches from scavenging animals.
It was believed that the nails have magical properties.
This meant that they were rarely left in the victim’s heel, and the holes they left could be mistaken for puncture marks.
Most of the damage was mostly in the soft tissues, so the bone damage might not have been that significant.
Finally, wooden crosses often do not survive as they deteriorate or end up being reused.