Historians once believed that burying the dead facedown meant rest in peace, but they may have been wrong. Some sources believe that the dead were buried facedown due to something the person may have done during their living hours. It may have been something to do with religion, as it was with the Vikings. Many of the Pagan Vikings did not accept those converted to Christianity, so they buried them facedown as a sign of dislike or hatred. Caroline Arcini of Sweden's National Heritage Board said, “behavior that is out of the norm—it is not accepted, what [the dead] have done.” She believes that the dead buried were buried the way they were because of some deed that was not “accepted” by the peoples. These strange burials could also have been so because of one’s social class. It is thought that those who were buried in a sitting position may have been a noble or high priest of some sort. Many of these burial sites are found in Peru, South Korea, Sweden and Mexico. So were the people buried facedown because of some horrible deed, and if so, what was it that made their deeds so horrific?
Natalie M, Period 3
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/090623-facedown-burials.html
2 comments:
It's amazing to think that every action has a meaning behind it. The thing that makes it unique, is that the every person views reasons diffferently. Historians and archaeologists must make inferences with the facts they may know about the culture of the people who buried their people facedown. But, the answers are not accurate since opinions are included in those inferences. We may never know the exact reason behins it but that's what makes history so fascinating! Good job Natalie! :]
Wow! I guess we will never know what these people did to end up being buried facedown. It is fascinating how even things like the meanings behind burials can be lost over time. It makes me wonder what else hasn't been discovered about the past. Awesome Blog Natalie!! :D
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