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3:17 pm
August 12, 2009
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I think bones do turn to dust, but how quickly depends on lots of circumstances. Children's bones tend to deteriorate faster because they haven't completely calcified. However, bones were found buried in ash at Herculaneum that survived so intact that they could tell by a female's pelvic bones whether or not she had had children, which apparently leaves a scar or mark on the pelvis with each birth. And her bones and those of the child beside her were over 2,000 years old! Quick lime and acid were thrown on the remains of Tsar Nicholas II and his family after their murders in 1918, yet they've identified them all (though experts disagree which is Maria and which is Anastasia due to facial damage and their close age).
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
4:32 pm
November 18, 2010
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Looking at the body casts in both Pompii and Herculaneum showing the positions in which people met their deaths is eerie to say the least.
It's always bunnies.
9:44 pm
August 12, 2009
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I know! I saw a PBS show on Pompeii and Herculaneum, and some of the bodies were gone completely with a negative void in the ash that they poured plaster of Paris into to preserve the details. Other bodies found under a series of arches (aqueducts?) down by the waterside were skeletally intact, with jewelry still on fingers and wrists. The skeletons I mentioned above were of a adolescent female and a toddler. Romantically, the media dubbed them mother and child, but the bones told a different story. The toddler was well-nourished and adorned with jewelry, while the young woman showed no evidence of having given birth. Also, her teeth showed evidence of malnourishment at the time of development, and the muscle attachment points on her arms and legs showed evidence of heavy labor. So she was a slave, caring for a wealthy family's pampered child. She'd snatched the child up and ran, trying to save them both, but both died.
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
9:52 pm
November 18, 2010
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I actually got to touch the casts when we were there. The detail is astounding….
It's always bunnies.
8:18 am
February 10, 2010
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It's over 20 years since I was at Pompeii – but I thought the whole thing was eerie. Perhaps it's because it is a grave site. I keep meaning to go back – when I re-visited Rome a couple of years ago I was amazed at the difference and the amount of work that had been done.
9:09 am
May 19, 2011
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I'v always wanted to go to Pompeii.
"A fresh young damsel, who could trip and go"
8:37 pm
August 12, 2009
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Knowing what we know about Henry, quite possibly.
Impish_Impulse said:
…they could tell by a female's pelvic bones whether or not she had had children, which apparently leaves a scar or mark on the pelvis with each birth.
Or then again, maybe not.
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
