Ikeletons. Every one will readily feize the circumftances above related, which militate againft the opinion.
[ 19^ ] that it covered the bones only of perfons fallen in battle; and againft the tradition alfo, which would make it the common fepulchre of a town, in which the bodies were placed upright, and touching each other. Appearances certainly indicate that it has derived both origin and growth from the accuftomary colleftion of bones, and depofition of them together; that the firfl: collection had been depofited on the common furface of the earth, a few ftones put over it, and then a covering of earth, that the fecond had been laid on this, had covered more or lefs of it in proportion to the number of bones, and was then alfo covered with earth; and fo on. The fol- lowing are the particular circumftances which give it this afpeft. I. The num- ber of bones. 2. Their confufed pofition.
- Their being in different ftrata. 4. The ftrata in one part having no correfpon- dence with thofe in another. 5. The dif- ferent dates of decay in thefe ftrata, which feem to indicate a difference in the time of inhumation. 6. The exiftence of infant bones among them.