4 ms·

there were roughly this many skulls arranged into towers in front of the main temple at tenochtitlan. not bad for a single city-state

1-more 6y ago
Nice. Smaller, less networked geographical area, but maybe a longer time scale to accrue them all? All signs point to "at least same order of magnitude" here. Edit I'm seeing 6 figure conquistador estimates and a 3 figure number acquired so far? Do you have a cite for 50k? Seems like a likely enough number just curious if anything has been refined since this https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5893933/The-horror-Aztec-tower-skulls-revealed.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5893933/The-...
- nyolfen 6y ago
  the aztec empire lasted for less than two centuries. the six figure estimate provided by the conquistador was written off as fabricated or exaggerated, unti the skull towers were discovered by archaeologists, and a few years later were discovered to roughly match the dimensions provided by the conquistador. i gave half his number as a conservative hedge. the aztecs are believed to sacrificed tens of thousands of people a year; i do not think it is as outlandish as it may sound. the aztecs were a truly, historically, uniquely bloodthirsty people.
  - ch4s3 6y ago
    I wouldn’t say uniquely. The ancient Assyrian’s we’re pretty into their horrific brand of terrifying their neighbors. The Cultural Revolution also seems pretty bad to cite a more recent example.
    - nyolfen 6y ago
      > Not understanding the implications of this request, Achitometl acceded to the honour; his daughter went to Tizaapan, where she was splendidly arrayed and sacrificed. Following an old custom, the body was flayed and a priest donned her skin in an ancient agricultural rite symbolising the renewal of life. The unsuspecting chieftain Achitometl, invited to participate in the concluding festivities, suddenly recognised the skin of his daughter on the body of the priest. this was a traditional rite; the skin would then be placed in a clay vessel underneath a temple or shrine alongside many others
      - ch4s3 6y ago
        I’m familiar with the story. That’s sort of my point the ancient Assyrians were well known for flaying thousands of people alive all at once after recapturing a city. They decorated their palaces with scenes of it.
  - andi999 6y ago
    Here a source for the skull towers https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundreds-skulls-reveal-massive-scale-human-sacrifice-aztec-capital https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundred...
  - 1-more 6y ago
    Gnarly!! And ty for the source elsethread. Fascinating stuff. Sounds like a no-good empire! Not a fan.

1-more 6y ago

Nice. Smaller, less networked geographical area, but maybe a longer time scale to accrue them all? All signs point to "at least same order of magnitude" here. Edit I'm seeing 6 figure conquistador estimates and a 3 figure number acquired so far? Do you have a cite for 50k? Seems like a likely enough number just curious if anything has been refined since this https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5893933/The-horror-Aztec-tower-skulls-revealed.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5893933/The-...

nyolfen 6y ago
the aztec empire lasted for less than two centuries. the six figure estimate provided by the conquistador was written off as fabricated or exaggerated, unti the skull towers were discovered by archaeologists, and a few years later were discovered to roughly match the dimensions provided by the conquistador. i gave half his number as a conservative hedge. the aztecs are believed to sacrificed tens of thousands of people a year; i do not think it is as outlandish as it may sound. the aztecs were a truly, historically, uniquely bloodthirsty people.
- ch4s3 6y ago
  I wouldn’t say uniquely. The ancient Assyrian’s we’re pretty into their horrific brand of terrifying their neighbors. The Cultural Revolution also seems pretty bad to cite a more recent example.
  - nyolfen 6y ago
    > Not understanding the implications of this request, Achitometl acceded to the honour; his daughter went to Tizaapan, where she was splendidly arrayed and sacrificed. Following an old custom, the body was flayed and a priest donned her skin in an ancient agricultural rite symbolising the renewal of life. The unsuspecting chieftain Achitometl, invited to participate in the concluding festivities, suddenly recognised the skin of his daughter on the body of the priest. this was a traditional rite; the skin would then be placed in a clay vessel underneath a temple or shrine alongside many others
    - ch4s3 6y ago
      I’m familiar with the story. That’s sort of my point the ancient Assyrians were well known for flaying thousands of people alive all at once after recapturing a city. They decorated their palaces with scenes of it.
- andi999 6y ago
  Here a source for the skull towers https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundreds-skulls-reveal-massive-scale-human-sacrifice-aztec-capital https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/feeding-gods-hundred...
- 1-more 6y ago
  Gnarly!! And ty for the source elsethread. Fascinating stuff. Sounds like a no-good empire! Not a fan.