Last week I read in the news that exports from Greece were up this year compared to last year. Yesterday there was a news item that may help explain that.
Two young American men were stopped at the Athens airport with unusual souvenirs of their visit to Mykonos. They had purchased six human skulls to use as Halloween decorations. They had seen the skulls on display in a shop and purchased them for 25 Euro each.
So perhaps the resourceful Greeks have found a new way to boost their economy. The traditional custom here is to disinter bones from graves after a few years, bless them and store them in a vault known as an ossuary. So what happens when the ossuary gets full?
Editor’s note: We are sure most Greeks as well as the Orthodox Church and the Greece government treat all human remains with the utmost respect.
Pyramid of Skulls by Paul Cezanne
c. 1901 Private collection; Venturi no. 753
