Archaeologists do it in holes: Tales from the stratigraphy

[Oexmelin]

The infamous skull racks of Tenochtitlan have been found, larger than a basketball court, they would have held thousands of skulls at a time.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundreds-skulls-reveal-massive-scale-human-sacrifice-aztec-capital

That is quite amazing. And great timing too, as my students will be reading Inga Clendinnen's Aztecs in a week.

[jimmy olsen]

The infamous skull racks of Tenochtitlan have been found, larger than a basketball court, they would have held thousands of skulls at a time.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundreds-skulls-reveal-massive-scale-human-sacrifice-aztec-capital

That is quite amazing. And great timing too, as my students will be reading Inga Clendinnen's Aztecs in a week.

Cool!

What exactly do you teach Oex? Shamefully, I've forgotten.

[Malthus]

My brother is working on this project (he's in the back row on the left in the team picture):

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/03/ancient-scrolls-charred-by-vesuvius-could-be-read-once-again

It would be awesome if this worked!

[Oexmelin]

I saw one of Brent Seales demonstrations (on admittedly much easier material). It was really impressive.

[The Brain]

My brother is working on this project (he's in the back row on the left in the team picture):

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/oct/03/ancient-scrolls-charred-by-vesuvius-could-be-read-once-again

It would be awesome if this worked!

Cool!

[Valmy]

I thought it was interesting that the documents they were most looking forward to potentially finding was previously unknown Sappho and a treatise on getting wasted by Marc Antony

[Malthus]

I thought it was interesting that the documents they were most looking forward to potentially finding was previously unknown Sappho and a treatise on getting wasted by Marc Antony

He was, allegedly, one of history's greatest experts on the topic. 

[Tamas]

Could we just be accurate and call him Marcus Antonius please?

[Valmy]

Could we just be accurate and call him Marcus Antonius please?

Nego

[The Brain]

Could we just be accurate and call him Marcus Antonius please?

You're thinking of the Roman.

[Tonitrus]

Not as old as most of the stuff in this thread...but still old, and history, and kinda cool. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-50102210

[jimmy olsen]

Not as old as most of the stuff in this thread...but still old, and history, and kinda cool. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-50102210

That is cool! Wow

[Syt]

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-infants-years-helmets-children-skulls.html

Infants from 2100 years ago found with helmets made of children's skulls

A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Universidad Técnica de Manabí in Ecuador has found and reported on ancient infant skulls that were excavated at a site in Salango, Ecuador. In their paper published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, the group describes how the infant skulls were encased in the skulls of older children.

The researchers note that the human head was often a powerful symbol for many early South American cultures, which might explain what they found. While on a dig in Salango, Ecuador, the researchers came across and unearthed the remains of 11 people buried at the site approximately 2100 years ago. The people that lived there at the time were called Guangala—the researchers also found multiple artifacts in addition to the bones.

The researchers report that among the remains they found were two infants, each with the skull of an older child fitted over their head—like a helmet. One of the infants was believed to have been approximately 18 months old at the time of death—its skull helmet came from a second child who was believed to have been approximately four to 12 years old at the time of death. The other infant was believed to have been approximately six to nine months old at death, and its skull helmet was believed to have come from a child approximately two to 12 years old at death. It is not yet known if the deceased children were related to one another, or the reason skulls were used as helmets for deceased infants. The researchers did note that the skull helmets fit snugly, which, they suggest, could indicate a simultaneous burial of the infant and the child that donated the skull helmet.

The researchers note that the find is the only known instance of using children's skulls as helmets for infants as part of a burial ceremony. They also note that it was possible that those who buried them were attempting to confer some sort of protection in the afterlife. They also note that it was possible the infant and/or the child involved in the ceremony were part of a ritual meant to calm a nearby active volcano, though they also suggest either of the deceased young ones could have died as a result of starvation due to the aftereffects of the volcanic eruption.

[Malthus]

It's like a toddler turducken.

[Valmy]

Well if I was going to do that it would be for one of two reasons:

1. I wanted to protect my baby's fontanel and their deceased older kid wasn't using their skull anymore so why not?

2. I loved the older kid so much I wanted to somehow transfer its essence into a baby so maybe I thought putting the older kid's skull on its head would do that.

But hey there are probably dozens of reasons one might put a skull from a dead person on your baby.