Lead "Burrito" Sarcophagus Found Near Rome

[n2doc]

Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
Published March 29, 2010

A 1,700-year-old sarcophagus found in an abandoned city near Rome could contain the body of a gladiator or a Christian dignitary, say archaeologists who are preparing to examine the coffin in the lab.

Found in a cement-capped pit in the ancient metropolis of Gabii, the coffin is unusual because it's made of lead—only a few hundred such Roman burials are known.

Even odder, the 800 pounds (362 kilograms) of lead fold over the corpse like a burrito, said Roman archaeologist Jeffrey Becker. Most lead sarcophagi look like "old-fashioned cracker boxes," molded into a rectangular shape with a lid, he said.

The coffin, which has been in storage since last year, is about to be moved to the American Academy in Rome for further testing.

But uncovering details about the person inside the lead coffin will be tricky. For starters, the undisturbed tomb contained no grave goods, offering few clues about the owner. (See more temple and tomb pictures.)

What's more, x-ray and CT scans—the preferred methods of coffin analysis—cannot penetrate the thick lead, leaving researchers pondering other, potentially dangerous ways to examine the remains inside.

more

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/03/100329-roman-sarcophagus-gladiator-lead-burrito/

[supernova]

1. Why were people buried in lead?

Was it a wealth/status thing? I would assume so, but who knows?

[hvn_nbr_2]

2. Because tin foil hadn't been invented yet?

:tinfoilhat:


:hide:

[supernova]

3. LOL!

I know today you get lead-lined coffins that are supposed to last longer. But why you would want them is funny to me.

[Nihil]

11. Target market: Rich dim-wits ...

... who are scared of "teh radiation!!!!"
:hide:

[d_r]

4. sounds like the opening chapter of a bad sci-fi channel movie

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. If this was found near Rome, why are they calling it a "burrito"?

Wouldn't it be more like a "cannoli"? :shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Was it intentionally folded that way? Or was that the result of 1,700 years of burial?

"Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Race of Skeleton People."

[progressoid]

7. Folded? How about collapsed.

[14thColony]

10. Collapsed inward on opposite sides

exactly down the longitudinal axis of the coffin, and the collapse left each side at mirror-image angles and with more or less uniform appearance? That's one hell of an improbable collapse. Occam's Razor would suggest the more likely explanation is the coffin was designed to look more or less as it appears now.

[kestrel91316]

8. Lead is highly malleable. Is it possible that the weight of everything on top

of it just collapsed it?

I feel sorry for the poor Roman slaves who mined and smelted the lead. That can't have ended well for any of them.

And I always found it fascinating that the ROMANS invented cement. I had thought it was a 19th century invention.

[14thColony]

9. Roman engineers were masters with cement

In many ways more advanced that we are today. The dome of the Parthenon is still the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world, over 1,800 yrs and counting. I've seen interviews with structural engineers who said it would be a major challenge to re-create it today. The Romans also developed a concrete that was designed to cure underwater for building bridge footing and piers. It's some of the hardest concrete ever made.

In this case it seems more likley the coffin was formed more or less as is. Most objects that are crushed by the overlying earth do not deform symetrically like this would had to have done. Plus I've seen Roman lead coffins built in the conventional box shape that didn't deform at all because they had an internal structure that the lead was fixed to, which might be the case with this one. Could be one innovative specialist coffin builder who developed a unique design, and there just aren't very many out there to find.

[Thothmes]

12. Believe you mean the Pantheon in Rome

not the Parthenon in Athens.