Ancient Mass Graves of Soldiers, Babies Found in Italy

[Adsos Letter]

Source: National Geographic

Maria Cristina Valsecchi in Rome
for National Geographic News
December 17, 2008

More than 10,000 graves containing ancient amphorae, "baby bottles," and the bodies of soldiers who fought the Carthaginians were found near the ancient Greek colony of Himera, in Italy, archaeologists announced recently. (See photos.)

The ancient burial ground was uncovered during the construction of a railway extension.

"Each contains from 15 to 25 skeletons. They were all young healthy men and they all died a violent death. Some of the skeletons have broken skulls and in some cases we found the tips of the arrows that killed them," Vassallo said.

He thinks the human remains are from soldiers who died fighting the Carthaginians in a famous 480 B.C. battle described by Greek historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus.



Read more: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081217-himera-mass-grave.html?source=rss

[Ian David]

1. At last, John McCain can have closure. n/t

[Kitty Herder]

10. ROFL

[Rebubula]

2. History

I will never understand why anyone would not find history fascinating.

I am always amazed when I read ancient history stories or see lost cities (like the one in Peru) being found after 100s of years.

Always makes me feel rather small and insignificant when I imagine the whole tapestry of human existence. Then I see my cat and everything is better.

[martymar64]

3. What fascinates me about history

When you think of all the lives of all the people that preceded us, our present time is only a blip over the many thousands of years. One general thinks about their ancestors in terms of living memory, i.e. grandparents, great-grandparents, but one doesn't often ponder the lives and existential issues of ancestors going further back. Last years, i did a little genealogical research and traced a branch of my ancestry back to 1470 England. I thought to myself, that person I traced my lineage to, what was he like? Did he look like me? What were his attitudes and views about the world? Did he lead a good life? Was he a hero or a villain? Was he humble or wealthy? The questions go on and on. And not only for him but ancestors going further back, say 2000-3000 years ago for example. To think about the sheer number of ancestors we all had is nothing short of mind boggling.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Yes, the population of the world must have been much larger in the Old Days.

I mean, you have 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents... and when you figure that's not just true for you but for everyone alive today, there must have been trillions of people alive at the time of Christ.

[XemaSab]

19. I think if everyone knew how inbred they really were

they would cower in terror.

Think about it: a village that had a population of 300 people for 500 years? That's about 20 generations. You should have 500,000 ancestors that far back, but you probably don't. :scared:

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

7. This new find is absolutely amazing

And welcome to DU :)

[judasdisney]

13. Agree

[bertman]

4. In 480 B.C. Carthage was defeated by Himera. 71 years later Himera was defeated by

the Carthaginians and the city was burned to the ground, its inhabitants were slaughtered or enslaved.

If you ever wonder how our species became so militaristic this historical narrative might help provide an answer. If you fight to defend your city from invaders and win, you and your family and compatriots live. If you lose, you are murdered or enslaved and your city is burned.

So much for pacifism.

[sasquatch]

5. Babies were thrown in because they died from complications of childbirth and diseases, not combat

They didn't consider children worthy of graves.

[brentspeak]

6. Wow. What a find.

Herodotus has had a reputation as a somewhat untrustworthy historian - even though he's the source of most of our info regarding ancient Greece during this time period - so we'll see if this new find will help his reputation.

[Faygo Kid]

8. Stunning find. 150 years before Alexander. Extraordinary.

Can't wait for more information. Amazing.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Better invade Spain.

[Thothmes]

12. Carthago delenda est!

[Posteritatis]

15. Bit late to that party

;)

[Adsos Letter]

14. kick for the nighttime crowd

:D

[illuminaughty]

16. As many here have posted, things like this tend to put

a new perspective on one's own life and our smallness in the equation of things.

Not making fun of mass graves here, but having lived in Italy, I do have to laugh every time they try to create a transit system of some sort. Anything where they have to dig. Because groundbreaking day is sometimes "project stoppage" day.

They have only two subway lines in Rome because everywhere they put a shovel it's like "Whoops", ancient artifacts of historical significance and in comes Ministry of Culture and work is stopped.
Near the Vatican they were building what they called "God's Parking Lot" and it had to stop because they discovered the villa of Caligula's sister, Agrappina.

Thanks for posting this.

[Adsos Letter]

17. You are wellcome!

I am always amazed at the number of lives, with all that entails, who have lived in the "present" before our "present"...

[TaffyMoon]

18. Carthage Rules!

and Hannibal was cool.