A recent NPR story covers the unearthing of what may have been a gladiator burial ground... in England! Evidence? Skeletal remains exhibit bite wounds from large predators, decapitations, and other dramatic injuries. Indications also, from the bone density, that these were extremely muscular men (like the proto-human woman mentioned yesterday). Listen here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127542467
In a more contemporary consideration (not specific to gladiators!), how 'bout this for an option? Is this "civilized"?
http://naturalburial.org/index.php
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I was reading the Spectacles of death in Acient Rome and I came across a section pertaining to burial and the rights certain people had to a proper burial service. Romans believed that no one except for special people (most likey kings) should be buried inside of the city walls therefore they would either dump them in the river or bury them. They most likey buried them because they believed that if they did not the spirits of the dead body would come and haunt the forever. But burying them would only mean throwing about three handfuls of soil over them. This would also happen to people who were not murdered but who actually died of disease and old age. Some gladiators (crowd favorites) did have a proper burial service where they were put in the ground and covered fully with soil. It is different from the way we bury people now days. Just something interesting.
Speaking of how we bury people today, has anyone checked out the second link, for naturalburial.org ? Thanks for posting the historial perspective, Mychal.
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