It just so happened in history that after the death of a person, a funeral rite was expected. How exactly to bury a person - in a stone tomb, a wooden coffin or burned at the stake - was determined by social, religious and cultural norms. Therefore, the ancient burials discovered by modern archaeologists are sometimes so strange that they simply drive scientists into a dead end.
1. The grave of babies
In Pachacamac (near present-day Lima, Peru), a grave was discovered that contained approximately 80 people, who were buried around AD 1000. They belonged to the Ichma people, which preceded the Incas. Half of the remains belonged to adults, who were placed in embryonic positions. Heads carved from wood or made of clay were laid on the corpses, wrapped in linen (mostly decomposed during this time). The other half of the deceased were babies, who were laid in a circle around the adults.
The grave of babies in Peru.
Perhaps the babies were sacrificed. They were all buried at the same time, but this is just a theory. A large number of adults have had serious illnesses such as cancer or syphilis. Skeletons of animals (guinea pigs, dogs, alpacas or llamas) were also found, which were sacrificed and placed in a tomb.
2. Spiral of skeletons
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In present-day Tlalpan, Mexico, archaeologists have discovered a 2,400-year-old burial site containing 10 skeletons arranged in a spiral. Each corpse was laid on its side, with the legs pointing to the center of the circle formed by the bodies. His hands were intertwined with the hands of people lying on either side. Each skeleton was partially stacked on top of the other in a slightly different way. For example, the head of one person was placed on the chest of another.
Spiral of skeletons in Mexico.
The deceased were of completely different ages: from infant and child to old people. Among the adults, two women and one man were identified. Two skeletons had skulls that were definitely artificially altered. Some also had their teeth modified, which was common practice at the time. The cause of death of these people is still unknown.
3. Standing burial
A 7,000-year-old male skeleton has been unearthed in a Mesolithic cemetery north of present-day Berlin. In addition to the fact that this was a Mesolithic burial, which is already rare, the most unusual thing was that this man was buried standing.
Standing burial.
He was originally buried on his knees, so his upper body partially decomposed before the corpse was reburied while standing. The man was buried with flint and bone tools, so he was most likely a hunter-gatherer. Similar burials have also been found in a cemetery known as Oleniy Ostrov in Karelia, Russia. In a large cemetery, four people were found, who were also buried standing, at about the same time.
4. Sacrificial children
In Derbyshire, England, a mass grave has been unearthed containing 300 Viking soldiers. Although this mass grave was not unusual, another grave was found next to it, in which four people were buried, ranging in age from 8 to 18 years. The children were placed back to back with a sheep's jaw resting at their feet.
Sacrificial children.
Their grave dates from about the same time as the Viking burial, with at least two of the children killed from injuries. Their placement and potential cause of death led researchers to believe that the children may have been sacrificed to be buried alongside the fallen soldiers. Perhaps it was part of a ritual for the children to accompany the dead soldiers into the afterlife.
5. The man killed by spears
In an Iron Age burial (present-day Pocklington, England), 75 burial chambers (mounds) were found with the remains of more than 160 people. In one of these burials lay a teenager 18-22 years old, who was buried with his sword 2500 years ago.
A man killed by spears.
A distinctive part of his burial is that after the young man was placed in the grave, he was stabbed with five spears. Researchers believe that this man may have been a high-ranking warrior, and during such a ritual they wanted to free his spirit.
6. Bound woman
In modern Plovdiv, Bulgaria, during the excavation of the ancient Thracian and Roman fortress Nebete Tepe, they found a medieval grave of a woman of the XIII-XIV centuries.
Tied woman.
The grave differed from other burials found at this site in that the woman was placed face down in it, and her hands were tied behind her back. Although burials with people face down were found all over the world, it was usually not associated with the dead. The archaeologists who excavated the grave have never seen such a burial in the area. They believe that this may have been a punishment for some kind of criminal activity.
7. "The Great Pit of Death"
During the excavations of Ur in the early 1900s, six burials without tombs were discovered, which were called "death pits." The most impressive of these is the Great Pit of Ur's Death, a burial in which the remains of 6 men and 68 women were found. The men were laid down near the entrance, they were wearing helmets and with weapons in their hands, as if guarding the pit. Most of the women were arranged neatly in four rows along the northwest corner of the pit.
The great pit of death.
Two groups of six women were also stowed in rows along the other two edges. All women were dressed in expensive clothes with headdresses made of gold, silver and lapis lazuli. One of the women had a headdress and jewelry that was much more extravagant than the others. It is believed that the dead woman was a high-ranking person, and the rest were sacrificed to go with her to the afterlife.
Whether this was a voluntary or a forced sacrifice is unknown. Two skeletons, one man and one woman, had skull fractures. None of the others had visible injuries. Researchers believe the victims consumed poison.
8. Mass graves of babies
Mass graves in which babies are buried are unusual, but several similar ones have already been discovered. In Ashkelon, Israel, bones of more than 100 babies were found in a sewer from Roman times. They did not show any signs of illness or deformity, and they may have been killed as some form of birth control. A similar burial, with the remains of 97 babies, was discovered in a Roman villa in Hambland, England.
Mass graves of babies in Ashkelon.
Scientists speculated that these were the remains of babies born in a brothel, which were thus unwanted. In addition, they may have been stillborn babies. Another mass grave was found in a well in Athens, containing remains dating back to 165 BC. - 150 BC There were 450 skeletons of babies, 150 skeletons of dogs and 1 adult with serious physical deformities in this place. Most babies were less than a week old. One third died from bacterial meningitis and the rest died from unknown causes. There was no evidence that their deaths were unnatural.
9. Many skulls
On Efate Island in Vanuatu, a 3,000-year-old cemetery has been excavated with 50 exhumed skeletons. Unusually, each skeleton was missing its skull. It was a common practice for the Lapita people who lived on the island at the time to dig up a dead body after the flesh had rotted and remove the head.
ASDASD.
The head was then placed in a shrine or elsewhere to honor the deceased. All skeletons were stacked in the same direction, with the exception of four, which were placed facing south. Upon examination of these four remains, it turned out that they were not residents of the island, unlike the others buried there.
10. Composite mummies
Research conducted on ancient burial sites in the British Isles showed that between 2200 BC. up to 700 BC e. 16 mummies were created here.
Composite mummies.
Since the climate in this part of the world is cold and humid, which is not good for mummification, it is believed that they were created by smoking over fire or deliberately burying in peat bogs. Oddly enough, some of these mummies are made of multiple people.
