Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 4349647" data-attributes="member: 40177">Bodies depend entirely upon the method of death, and the climate.&nbsp; I wish I had my forensic anthropology notes on me.&nbsp; But, a few key points for bodies:1)&nbsp; Where did it die? (inside or out?&nbsp; Near wind, or near ice?)2)&nbsp; Can animals and bugs get to it?&nbsp; 3)&nbsp; How moist is the climate?&nbsp; (The wetter it is, the more bacteria)4)&nbsp; How warm is the climate?&nbsp; (Warm and wet means faster decay;&nbsp; warm and dry means it dries out faster)There is a lot that can affect the body's decomposition.&nbsp; Sometimes, even the act of putting ochre in the body as part of funerary rites can slow the rate of decomposition.&nbsp; The famous &quot;Bog bodies&quot; are another example of how human culture can stop the rate of decomposition.&nbsp; Really, I think you're safe simply saying &quot;these ruins are here&quot; and being okay with that.&nbsp; There are buildings that have been found that date back four, five thousand years (the &quot;City&quot; in Israel that predates mesopotamia springs to mind;&nbsp; structures dating back almost ten thousand years have been found there!).&nbsp; And then there are bridges and buildings built in our own modern era that fail and decay within only a few decades.As for bodies, you can roughly assume that bones will remain behind two, three hundred years later.&nbsp; And if it's dry, you can go back thousands of years with no problem.&nbsp; Your players aren't gonna call &quot;BS&quot; on anything you say, in any case.&nbsp; There are enough exceptions out there that you have a lot of leeway.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wik, post: 4349647, member: 40177"] Bodies depend entirely upon the method of death, and the climate. I wish I had my forensic anthropology notes on me. But, a few key points for bodies: 1) Where did it die? (inside or out? Near wind, or near ice?) 2) Can animals and bugs get to it? 3) How moist is the climate? (The wetter it is, the more bacteria) 4) How warm is the climate? (Warm and wet means faster decay; warm and dry means it dries out faster) There is a lot that can affect the body's decomposition. Sometimes, even the act of putting ochre in the body as part of funerary rites can slow the rate of decomposition. The famous "Bog bodies" are another example of how human culture can stop the rate of decomposition. Really, I think you're safe simply saying "these ruins are here" and being okay with that. There are buildings that have been found that date back four, five thousand years (the "City" in Israel that predates mesopotamia springs to mind; structures dating back almost ten thousand years have been found there!). And then there are bridges and buildings built in our own modern era that fail and decay within only a few decades. As for bodies, you can roughly assume that bones will remain behind two, three hundred years later. And if it's dry, you can go back thousands of years with no problem. Your players aren't gonna call "BS" on anything you say, in any case. There are enough exceptions out there that you have a lot of leeway. [/QUOTE]

Verification