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An archaeological mystery in a half-ton lead coffin
University of Michigan ^ | Mar. 29, 2010 | Unknown

Posted on 03/29/2010 12:52:22 PM PDT by decimon

The lead coffin archaeologists found in the abandoned ancient city of Gabii, Italy could contain a gladiator or bishop.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—In the ruins of a city that was once Rome's neighbor, archaeologists last summer found a 1,000-pound lead coffin.

Who or what is inside is still a mystery, said Nicola Terrenato, the University of Michigan professor of classical studies who leads the project—the largest American dig in Italy in the past 50 years.

The sarcophagus will soon be transported to the American Academy in Rome, where engineers will use heating techniques and tiny cameras in an effort to gain insights about the contents without breaking the coffin itself.

"We're very excited about this find," Terrenato said. "Romans as a rule were not buried in coffins to begin with and when they did use coffins, they were mostly wooden. There are only a handful of other examples from Italy of lead coffins from this age—the second, third or fourth century A.D. We know of virtually no others in this region."

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The site of Gabii, situated on undeveloped land 11 miles east of Rome in modern-day Lazio, was a major city that pre-dates Rome but seems to have waned as the Roman Empire grew.

Studying Gabii gives researchers a glimpse into pre-Roman life and offers clues to how early Italian cities formed. It also allows them broader access to more substantial archaeological layers or strata. In Rome, layers of civilization were built on top of each other, and archaeologists are not able or allowed to disturb them.

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(Excerpt) Read more at ns.umich.edu ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: gabii; godsgravesglyphs; lazio; michigan; universityofmichigan
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To: grellis

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gabiiproject/home
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gabiiproject/the_site_of_gabii


61 posted on 03/29/2010 6:20:59 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: SunkenCiv

Yeah but he whistle blowed on those nasty cig companies.
Checking out the posts on Antikythera mechanism very interesting...


62 posted on 03/29/2010 6:36:26 PM PDT by GSP.FAN (These are the times that try men's souls.)
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To: GSP.FAN

:’) There’s even a keyword for that:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/antikythera/index


63 posted on 03/29/2010 7:07:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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dead link I think:
Those About To Die
Chapter III
by Daniel P. Mannix
The greatest naumachia of all time was the naval engagement staged by Claudius. As Augustus' lake was too small, the mad emperor decided to use the Fucine Lake (now called the Lago di Fucino) some sixty miles to the east of Rome. This lake had no natural outlet and in the spring it often flooded many miles of surrounding county. To overcome this trouble, a tunnel three and a half miles long had been cut through solid rock from the lake to the Litis River to carry off the surplus water. This job had taken thirty thousand men eleven years to finish. For the dedication of the opening of this tunnel, Claudius decided to stage a fight between two navies on the lake. The galleys previously used in such engagements had been small craft with only one bank of oars. For this fight, there were to be twenty-four triremes (three banks of oars), all regulation ocean-going warships -- and twenty-six bi-remes (double bank). This armada was divided into two fleets of twenty-five ships each and manned by nineteen hundred criminals under the command of two famous gladiators. One fleet was to represent the Rhodians and the other the Sicilians and both groups wore the appropriate costumes... A big tent had even been put up to care for the wounded after the battle -- after all, prisoners were scarce and the survivors could always be used again in other spectacles. As matters turned out, the tent served another purpose. Fifteen women in the crowd gave birth during the fight and had to be cared for in the tent. It is an interesting example of the mob's passion for these fights that women in advanced pregnancy traveled sixty miles from Rome so as not to miss the naumachia.

64 posted on 03/29/2010 7:11:33 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran

You have to be joking.


65 posted on 03/29/2010 9:15:28 PM PDT by Dustbunny ("Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. " Ronald Reagan)
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To: bamahead

That’s fascinating. Are those really the guy’s teeth or were they added?

What a horrible end. Pompeii is one place I’d love to visit.


66 posted on 03/29/2010 10:10:54 PM PDT by bannie (Somebody has to go to seed...it might as well be me!)
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To: bannie

Those are really his teeth. If you look at the top of the head, you’ll see the tip of the skull. The whole thing was encased in plaster, with the outline of the man.

Like I said, chilling!


67 posted on 03/29/2010 10:20:02 PM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: JoeProBono

That man was... ah.... gifted.


68 posted on 03/29/2010 11:14:33 PM PDT by FrogMom (No such thing as an honest democrat!)
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To: bamahead

I understand how they filled in the “people spaces” with plaster; but I had no idea that so much of the victims’ parts were preserved. Chilling...yes. It would have seemed like the end of the world.


69 posted on 03/30/2010 12:14:13 AM PDT by bannie (Somebody has to go to seed...it might as well be me!)
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To: decimon

It contains a selction of the best wines produced in ancient Gabii. They buried it in lead so the Romans couldn;t get it.


70 posted on 03/30/2010 7:42:11 AM PDT by ZULU
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To: FrogMom

Actually I was kind of feeling sorry for him.


71 posted on 03/30/2010 8:16:06 AM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: COBOL2Java

The Man with the X Ray Eyes!


72 posted on 03/30/2010 12:44:45 PM PDT by happygrl (Continuing to predict that 0bama will resign)
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To: SunkenCiv
The special coffin contains the body of the city's most famous citizen, Gabii Hayes:


73 posted on 04/05/2010 1:33:30 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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