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Sunday, April 28, 2019

Who found and heaped the bones at Hermounts? Alma 2:38

Who found and heaped the bones at Hermounts? Alma 2:38

The Amlicites join the Lamanites and fight against the Nephites.

The Nephites win.

Lots of bodies of Amlicites and Lamanites were left in a wilderness called "Hermounts." Later, the bones were found and heaped in piles. My question was, "By whom?"

Alma 3:1 mentions that the Nephites stayed to bury their own dead and not the enemies, otherwise the bones would not have been found.

I don't know how long it takes a body to decompose into "bones." But I will say that it probably was not immediate.

I guess what this shows more than anything was that Mormon, the man who abridged the records of Alma and his people, was conscientious about including the detail that the Amlicite and Lamanite bodies were, at least eventually, respected in their death. Even though cultural norms are very different around the world and across history regarding what is the proper thing to do with dead human bodies, it seems to be something that, like human sexuality, is hugely tied to the moral value of "purity." Fascinating stuff.

Answer:
People who found them later who believed that the appropriate thing to do with dead human bodies was to set them in a pile.

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