Roman-era tomb scattered with 'dead nails' to shield the living from the 'restless dead'

[Still Waters]

In ancient Roman times, people may have feared the "restless dead," according to the discovery of a cremation tomb sprinkled with intentionally bent nails and sealed not only with two dozen bricks but also a layer of plaster, a new study finds. 

The unusual grave, found at the site of Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey and dating to A.D. 100-150, had 41 bent and twisted nails scattered along the edges of its cremation pyre, 24 bricks that had been meticulously placed on the still-smoldering pyre, and a layer of lime plaster on top of that. The individual — an adult male — was cremated and buried in the same place, an unusual practice in Roman times, according to the study, published Feb. 21 in the journal Antiquity.

https://www.livescience.com/roman-era-tomb-scattered-with-magical-dead-nails-and-sealed-off-to-shield-the-living-from-the-restless-dead

Magical practices? A non-normative Roman imperial cremation at Sagalassos

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/magical-practices-a-nonnormative-roman-imperial-cremation-at-sagalassos/