Verry ornate, jewel encrusted skeletons found in Rome.

Had a search around, looking for things like "Skeletons Rome" and so on and found nothing.

someone posted this on a social media site I won't name, rather awesome:

Skeletons found in Catacombs of Rome

I hope this hasn't already been shared and that this is the appropriate forum. There are quite a lot of images and they're of good quality, interesting stuff.

a reply to: samerulesapply

WOW!...just WOW!

a reply to: samerulesapply
So, as I read the linked article, they were not jewel-encrusted when found, but the jewels were added after they had been exhumed.

so apparently, you can take it with you

It is possible that these were Saints who died or went on tour with the Crusaders during some of their military campaigns, which would make sense with Catholicism not Christianity as the article generalizes. And the Article does state they were believed to be Martyr's, which could indicate that they died on the campaign or shortly after returning home, and then the church decided to honor them for their bravery. Just a thought, but it is also possible that they may not even be the Saints themselves, and I think the jewels aren't real. I think I read somewhere they were made of glass or beads or something to that effect. But who knows, I could be wrong. Nice Find.

originally posted by: Marduk
so apparently, you can take it with you

No, it just hangs off your bones for others to come along and pick up.

a reply to: samerulesapply

Wow, thank you for sharing!

Back in 1578 came the fascinating discovery of a network of labyrinthine tombs, lurking deep beneath the street of Rome. The tombs were home to the decayed skeletons of early Christian martyrs – believed to be saints on account of their bravery & unwavering support of Christian beliefs. Many of these skeletons (given the name ‘The Catacomb Saints’ by those who first discovered them) were then distributed across Europe (predominantly Germany) as replacements for the countless holy relics which had been smashed, stolen or destroyed during the Protestant Reformation. Once delivered, each skeleton was then clothed and adorned into a variety of precious jewels, expensive cloth, crowns, armour and even given wigs. They were put on display inside their designated churches as a reminder to all who visited, for the riches and wealth that awaited them post death – providing they swore allegiance to the Christian faith. It sounds like a tale straight from a Dan Brown novel doesn't it? Yet it’s all factually accurate. So fascinated by the discovery and indeed the story behind ‘The Catacomb Saints’ art historian (& self-confessed relic hunter) Paul Koudounaris travelled all over Europe trying to find and document the status of each Saint. Amazingly many of the skeletons were yet to be put on display, still stored in containers waiting to be dressed and revealed to the public. His book 'Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs' looks at the gripping origins and history of ‘The Catacomb Saints’, posing such as questions as who were they? How exactly did they die? Who ordered them to be placed in the catacombs? And why had they laid forgotten in Europe’s religious institutions for so long? His work serves as a compelling documentation of some of the most elaborate & forgotten relics from a by-gone era. Below are a few photographs from the stunning book itself, which you can purchase right here

Pretttttyyyyy disappointed with this click bait.

Those photos are positively ghoulish. What sort of mind does it take to dress skeletons in clothing and jewels and display them? Had I been exposed to anything like that in my young life, I suspect I would have been put off that religion pretty quickly!

a reply to: Atsbhct

Dude, they're just interesting pictures of some skeletons with jewels and stuff. Perhaps you shouldn't let the titles of threads excite you so much, you'll only feel let down in the end.

Personally, I rarely, if ever - feel disappointed at having read a thread.

And as for it being click bait...you see what the thread title states...skeletons covered in jewels and other such trinkets - pretty much getting what it says on the tin.

Presumably you expected them to perform tricks or something that isn't in the title, hence the disappointment?

a reply to: samerulesapply

Right. Fake.

Besides that, the ribs are pretty weird in 2 of the pics.

I cannot believe how rude people are being. These are very interesting pictures, with an interesting story behind it, without which, I, at least, would never have seen, and find them a fascinating, if somewhat grotesque, tribute to Christian martyrs.

OP ignore these rude little minions. This is interesting and thread-worthy, and I'm glad you posted it. S&F.

Other sources are there I suppose. Still would be interested in different angles.

a reply to: ghaleon12

They may very well be fake, yes.

That's certainly an avenue this thread should explore.

a reply to: angeldoll

I heat ya. it's ATS in the modern day.

I honestly can't remember the last thread I contributed to without someone appearing and making negative comments.

Seems to be the same few people, also. An interesting thing it is and I've been enjoying reading threads on ATS recently...I'm always reading thinking...wonder when such and such or whatzizname will show up and be rude.

It's like a game.

a reply to: samerulesapply

Wow, blinged out dead folk, wonder what the purpose in that was?

This is always how I imagined my undead wight minions to look, dipped in gold or silver and covered in magic gemstones.

They would make powerful automatons.