2,000 Bodies Discovered in Berlin Medieval Cemetery

[Philosophia]

2,000 Bodies Discovered in Berlin Medieval Cemetery

Archaelogists have made a grisly, fascinating discovery in central Berlin -- a giant medieval graveyard containing 2,000 corpses, many of them children.

Archaelogists in Berlin have uncovered 2,000 skeletons in a huge medieval cemetery near the city center since they started examining the site in March 2007.

From here (http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,573033,00.html).

An amazing find but also rather sad. Articles like this make me wonder about what may happen to our cemeteries in the future. Will they be dug up and studied like these were?

[Lunacie]

What a stupid header for that article. Something like this would have been better (IMO)...

2,000 Skeletons Unearthed in Forgotten Berlin Medieval Cemetery

The way it's written now makes me want to respond, "Duh, where else would you find that many skeletons (not bodies) except in a cemetery?"

Anyway, that's certainly one of the reasons I've made my wishes known that I want to be cremated after I die.

[David19]

What a stupid header for that article. Something like this would have been better (IMO)...

2,000 Skeletons Unearthed in Forgotten Berlin Medieval Cemetery

The way it's written now makes me want to respond, "Duh, where else would you find that many skeletons (not bodies) except in a cemetery?"

Anyway, that's certainly one of the reasons I've made my wishes known that I want to be cremated after I die.

I agree, it's not that surprising you'd find bodies in a Cemetery, and, it's not very surprising many of the dead skeletons were childrens, considering, kids had a short life expectancy then, and, you had things like the Plague (which, I think, affected kids and old people, and others with weak immune systems first?).

From the article:


Regula Löscher, head of public construction in the Berlin city government, said part of the site will be preserved and made accessible to the public, and that plans to build new shops and offices in the area will be revised accordingly

I think they should move construction to another area, I don't think they should build shops, offices, etc on a Cemetary. That said, in a thousand years, the Cemetary's we have, will, probably, be dug up and studied, etc. For me, I think I'll, probably, be buried, for religious reasons (in the Sumerian religion, the body needs to be buried, otherwise, if it is burned, it can't access Kur, the Sumerian underworld, and, the Sumerians (and maybe other Mesopotamian cultures?) used to cremate people as a punishment (I think, they'd either end up a ghost, roaming the world, or end up in Heaven (the realm of the Sumerian Gods, which, wouldn't be a good place to end up))).

From the Temple of Sumer (http://templeofsumer.org/):


The dead in Sumer were always buried. They were never cremated except in the most extreme of cases. A person whose body was cremated did not go to the land of the dead. They, like the smoke and fire that consumed them, would go up to heaven.

Being barred from the underworld and going up to heaven was considered the worst thing that could happen to a person when they died. Heaven was a perfectly decent place for the gods to be, but it simply was not where the dead belonged. That was not the proper order of the universe. Being Cremated was worse even than being doomed to walk the living world

That said, if I had too, I would try and rescue someone, people, etc from a burning building, even, if it meant I blew up, etc.

[Philosophia]

What a stupid header for that article. Something like this would have been better (IMO)...

2,000 Skeletons Unearthed in Forgotten Berlin Medieval Cemetery

The way it's written now makes me want to respond, "Duh, where else would you find that many skeletons (not bodies) except in a cemetery?"

Anyway, that's certainly one of the reasons I've made my wishes known that I want to be cremated after I die.

I know. :lol: I was thinking of changing the title header to better suit it but decided against it.

[brymble]

I think it would be kind of cool to be dug up and studied. I'd like to donate my skeleton to an art department, for figure drawing.

[David19]

I think it would be kind of cool to be dug up and studied. I'd like to donate my skeleton to an art department, for figure drawing.

That might be cool, too, although, there is the chance your body could end up in the hands of some Necrophiliac.

[Sebastian]

If you think about it, if we respect EVERY SINGLE burial place, we'll run out of places for other stuff. I wish to be cremated and the ashes put wherever just so that I don't take up space.

Also: http://www.zimbio.com/Paris+France/articles/12/Fontaine+des+Innocents+Paris

[David19]

If you think about it, if we respect EVERY SINGLE burial place, we'll run out of places for other stuff. I wish to be cremated and the ashes put wherever just so that I don't take up space.

Also: http://www.zimbio.com/Paris+France/articles/12/Fontaine+des+Innocents+Paris

That's true, I guess, maybe, after a few centuries, thousand years, etc, it wouldn't be so bad, as long as the dead are respected.

Also, thanks for that link, I'm glad the dead kids were honoured and remembered, with that Fountain, even if the bodies aren't there anymore.

[Sebastian]

D'you know that for a very long time they didn't even name a child until they were six or seven in case they died? Says something about infant mortality. Also that you have to add six or seven years to everyone's ages, particularly in the Iron Age, if I recall correctly.

[David19]

D'you know that for a very long time they didn't even name a child until they were six or seven in case they died? Says something about infant mortality. Also that you have to add six or seven years to everyone's ages, particularly in the Iron Age, if I recall correctly.

I didn't know that, I guess, for the people back then, it made hurt less, if a child died as a baby, if they didn't name it, have a deep connection with it, etc.

[Sebastian]

Children were quite expendable. It wasn't unusual for a woman to have, say ten children and have two or three survive. Children were basically property, and the earliest thing I've come across about children having rights or being protected in any way is St. Nicholas, patron saint of children and seafarers. Unless you count that Egyptians put fish charms around their childrens' necks to prevent them from drowning. Makes me glad I live in the 21st century, and in a particularly privileged part of it at that.

[David19]

Children were quite expendable. It wasn't unusual for a woman to have, say ten children and have two or three survive. Children were basically property, and the earliest thing I've come across about children having rights or being protected in any way is St. Nicholas, patron saint of children and seafarers. Unless you count that Egyptians put fish charms around their childrens' necks to prevent them from drowning. Makes me glad I live in the 21st century, and in a particularly privileged part of it at that.

Not to mention insurance, a lot of people in the ancient world, and in some parts of the modern world, want a lot of kids, so they'll have somebody to look after them in their old age.

[*GrumpButt*]

Not to mention insurance, a lot of people in the ancient world, and in some parts of the modern world, want a lot of kids, so they'll have somebody to look after them in their old age.

Isnt that all they are good for? Kidding lol I couldnt resist! haha...

Really though.. In a thousand years im not going to care about who does what with my bones. I dont want them broken and bashed around, but if they move and study the remains in a respective way then sure thing have at it. Who knows with the whole birth and rebirth thing maybe ill get to study my own remains someday ;)

[Sebastian]

Not to mention insurance, a lot of people in the ancient world, and in some parts of the modern world, want a lot of kids, so they'll have somebody to look after them in their old age.

Well, the focus was more to continue the family line, but yeah you've got it. The patriarch was the head of the family until he died, so he never really got to enjoy his golden years (from 35-40) and after that someone (read: a male child) had to take care of the women, since women weren't allowed to be the heads of households. If there was no one to take care of the women, they'd have to go begging in the streets.

[Sebastian]

Really though.. In a thousand years im not going to care about who does what with my bones. I dont want them broken and bashed around, but if they move and study the remains in a respective way then sure thing have at it. Who knows with the whole birth and rebirth thing maybe ill get to study my own remains someday ;)

That'd be some major deja vu, I'd imagine.

[*GrumpButt*]

Right? :D

[David19]

Well, the focus was more to continue the family line, but yeah you've got it. The patriarch was the head of the family until he died, so he never really got to enjoy his golden years (from 35-40) and after that someone (read: a male child) had to take care of the women, since women weren't allowed to be the heads of households. If there was no one to take care of the women, they'd have to go begging in the streets.

That's true too, I'm glad I live in the modern world, even though, I do like learning about ancient cultures, I do prefer the internet, my iPod, clubs, bars, etc.

[David19]

Isnt that all they are good for? Kidding lol I couldnt resist! haha...

Really though.. In a thousand years im not going to care about who does what with my bones. I dont want them broken and bashed around, but if they move and study the remains in a respective way then sure thing have at it. Who knows with the whole birth and rebirth thing maybe ill get to study my own remains someday ;)

:giggle:, and, I don't mind, if the bodies are treated respectfully, then they can be moved, even studied, etc.

And, who knows, maybe you will study your own remains!.

[*GrumpButt*]

lol