Page 8 - IAV Digital Magazine #609

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Baby Bird Found Alive Inside Dead Man's Stomach After Being Swallowed During Fertility Ritual
Bulgarian Beach Bar Discovered Using Ancient Roman Sarcophagus As A Table
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hc7kGlae7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEzaNvFO4Uk
By Andrew Martin
Intriguing antiques are rou- tinely discovered in the most interesting of places. Amazing artifacts are found in second-hand stores, on Grandma’s shelf and in the ground. However, such finds are rarely surpassed by the ancient Roman sar- cophagus that a tourist recently stumbled upon that a Bulgarian beach bar was using as a table.
As originally reported by Aspen Pflughoeft of The Sacramento Bee, a former law enforcement officer was on vacation in Varna, Bulgaria when they noticed what appeared to be an old stone coffin positioned in the sand on the beach and being used as a patron table by the Radjana Beach Bar.
Suspecting that the table might be more important than servicing as a surface to hold drinks and snacks, the tourist reported his sus- picions to city officials. After
archaeologists went to investigate, they were able to confirm that it was actual- ly a 1,700-year-old sarcoph- agus of Roman origins. Ornately carved, it no longer holds any remains, and the top was missing and had been replaced by a mismatched material to serve its most recent func- tion
Varna is an already a well- known area for those inter- ested in
antiquities. Famous for being the site where the Gold of Varna (6,000-year- old Thracian jewelry) was found, there have been many archaeological finds there over the years.
It has not been reported what is to become of the sarcophagus, but it seems likely that its days serving as a table have come to an end. In all likelihood, it will be on display at one of the local museums, which hold many artifacts detailing the rich historical tradition of this region.
By Morgan Music
The sudden death of a 35- year-old man only became more shocking when his autopsy revealed a live baby bird—potentially swal- lowed as part of an occult fertility ritual—lodged in his throat.
Anand Yadav, of Chhattisgarh, India col- lapsed at home after feeling dizzy and fainting shortly after taking a bath, Hindustan Times reported. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors were initially puzzled about the cause of death.
During the autopsy, Dr. Santu Bag discovered a live chick, approximately 20
cm long, lodged in Yadav's throat. The chick had obstructed his airway and food passage, causing asphyxiation.
"This is the first time I have encountered such a case in my career," Dr. Bag, who has performed over 15,000 autopsies, told India Today.
Villagers claim Yadav had been consulting
a tantrik (occultist) due to struggles with infertility and suspect that swallowing the chick was part of a ritual intended to help him become a father.
Authorities have yet to con- firm the exact circum- stances surrounding the incident.
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