They found WHAT on 1,800-year-old skeletons?!
Y'all, I just read something that made my sweet tea go cold this morning, and I'm telling you, you're not ready. So, archaeologists over in Rome — in this old necropolis, bless its heart — they found three skeletons, like 1,800 years old, and guess what was on their chests? Iron nails. Not like, a couple of rusty old things, but *nails*. Now, the experts are saying this might have been some kind of ritual to keep those spirits from getting restless. To "protect" both the living and the dead, they say. Look, I’m all for a good ghost story, especially around Oakwood Cemetery with its Victorian charm, but iron nails to keep a ghost down? That's a whole new level of "don't mess with me."
Can you imagine finding something like that in Raleigh? We've got history, sure, but mostly it's about tobacco and textiles, or maybe some Revolutionary War skirmishes. We ain't out here nailing down our dearly departed to keep 'em from walking around Pullen Park after dark. Now, I'm not saying we don't have our superstitions — I'm telling you, some folks around here still won't plant tomatoes until after Easter. But this Roman thing? It’s giving me chills, and not the kind you get from a good air conditioning unit after a hot summer day. That's the Triangle, y'all — come for the tech, stay for the sweet tea, and definitely don't try to nail down your ancestors.
Jazz Okafor-Daniels, MiTL Raleigh.
Keith and the crew unpack wild stuff like this every single morning, live at mornings.live.