Posted on 12/05/2014 3:22:15 PM PST by DogByte6RER
• Skeletons Found In Ancient Cemetery Still Have Shackles On Their Necks
Archaeologists working in southwest France have discovered hundreds of Gallo-Roman graves dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD, with some of the skeletons featuring shackles still strapped around their necks and ankles.
The site, which may have been part of an important Gallo-Roman necropolis, is situated near the amphitheatre of Saintes. The Romans dominated the area during the first and second centuries AD. The amphitheatre, which featured battles between gladiators and wild animals, could hold between 12-18,000 people. The remains of the dead would be ushered through the "Door of the Dead" and buried in the nearby necropolis.
The new excavation revealed several double burials where individuals where buried head to tail in a long rectangular pit (similar to a trench), and a multiple burial pit containing five people, including two children and two young women.
No goods were discovered in the graves, with the exception of a young child who was buried with seven vases dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD. The same burial, which is characteristically different than the other ones, also contained two coins, which were placed on the eyes of the child.
The archaeologists identified several individuals who appear to have been shackled. Four adults (three men and a subject of unknown gender) were found with iron shackles; three had shackles that were hot riveted around their left ankles and one had a "bondage collar". One child had a more rudimentary object riveted around his left wrist. Another individual was constrained by multiple devices.
Archaeologists are now investigating the status of these individuals, including their origin and conditions of death. In future lab research, they hope to determine if other individuals buried in the region belonged to the same community.
Photos by: Frédéric Méténier, Inrap 2014
Interesting write-up ... but these skellies obviously weren't the warriors, but the slaves
Another write-up here:
Shackled individuals found in Gallo-Roman cemetery in southwest France @ http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/12/2014/shackled-individuals-found-in-gallo-roman-cemetery-in-southwest-france
/mark
D@mn ... I suppose the French will start protesting in Ferguson demanding their reparations too.
we need reparations!
lol.
A lot of gladiators were slaves
I would think the Roman Legion had plenty of slaves in support, pulling wagons and taking care of livestock
Bookmarked.
The Defeated Community.
You beat my ping to the sunken one!
No way!
The only people in the history of the world that were ever enslaved are the ones kidnapped from Africa by Republicans and made to work on plantations in the Southern United States.
Jesse Jackson says so.
I wants reparations!
D**it! Beat me to it!
When a member of the family was murdered the slaves were tortured to extract truthful testimony. It was assumed that unless they were tortured they would lie. If it turned out to be a slave that was responsible for the death it was usual to execute all the slaves.
A male who thought he was a female?
Bondage collar...must have been a S&M B&D scene that went bad...
Either that.... or it was evil Republicans who caused it...
Thanks KoRn and Robert A. Cook, PE.
How common was it for the slave to be buried still wearing his collar. I would think that they would recycle it. I can see that having another slave forge a new collar for the next captive would be no big deal, but was the material that easy to come by?
These may have died from an epidemic.
Okay, that makes sense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.