10. Immurement, not to be confused with being buried alive, involves the entombing of an individual inside of a wall or confined space.
Immurement, derived from the later “im” – in – and “murus” – wall, literally comprises the entombing of an individual inside a wall or enclosed space without means of exit. Often, but not always used as a method of execution, the prisoner is left for an indefinite period of time to suffer from starvation and dehydration whilst trapped in isolation and darkness. Appearing in civilizations around the world, two primary purposes recur as the motivations behind the practice: human sacrifice and criminal punishment. Regarding the latter, it has been claimed the Vestal Virgins of Rome faced immurement should they break their vows of chastity as a trial by ordeal to prove devotion.
More commonly appearing as a form of human sacrifice, however, many civilizations employed immurement as part of funerary rituals. Living persons, either willingly or forced as part of entombed chattel, were frequently buried alongside deceased people of status. Known to have occurred as early as 2500 BCE, with archaeological evidence in the Sumerian city of Ur depicting the practice, it was also a prominent feature of early imperial China. Transmitted to the funerary rites of the Mongol Khans during the 13th and 14th centuries, these great conquerors were reportedly buried along with more than a dozen slaves.