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Mysteries of vernacular: Sarcophagus - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

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Mysteries of Vernacular

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Dating back to the early Roman Empire, the word sarcophagus originally referred to the limestone a coffin was made of, rather than the coffin itself. From flesh-eating stone to a stone coffin, Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel unbury the sarcophagus.

Why do you think citizens of the early Roman Empire valued flesh-eating coffins?

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