Images of the skull in art

[Vladimir]

This is the answer I found here: http://kuraev.ru/index.php?option=co...6349.msg678541

The image is a skull and crossbones came not from Christianity. It is much older and goes back to the ancient tradition of burial in the Holy Land. This image is a symbolic depiction of death or grave. Research traditions of ancient graves indicate that people inhabited the Holy Land from ancient times the dead were entombed in a cave, covering the entrance to the cave a special stone (the same was buried in Christ). Since crypts, caves are generic and in all places was not enough, the more izsechenie niches in the caves, where they laid the body of the deceased, was a matter of expensive and time-consuming, the use of niches was reusable. The body of the deceased, with all due ceremony, buried in a cave for 9 months, so exactly how is the woman in the belly of the fetus before birth. After that time, stone chip and women sort the deceased's body was removed from the niche, by that time it had to perish, and washed stone. Hence the phrase "to wash the bones. During the washing of all remembered how good was this man. Then adds these bones in a special stone ark, which was produced along the length of the longest of the tibia, and the width of the pelvic bone. Top of a skull believed, and under it crossbones hand. These kovchezhtsy evolved in a cave, a niche is freed for the next funeral. Therefore, the head of Adam portrayed as a symbol of the tomb of Adam. It is a tradition ossuary of Mount Athos and other eastern monasteries. Hence the familiar to us today of these ancient symbols.

And here's another about the skull and bones, which depict the foot of the crucifixion:

Image of the skull and crossbones at the foot of the cross of Christ, there is a symbolic depiction of death, which was conquered by Christ, it is a symbolic image of redemption of original sin, death on the cross-Christ's sacrificial lamb. Indeed, according to Orthodox tradition, Calvary considered the burial place of Adam, and the mountain itself in its form resembled a skull, Golgotha, where a literal translation, we get about "bald, or skull." We know from Holy Scripture, that at the time of death on the cross of the Savior, there was a great earthquake, traces of which can be seen today in the temple of the Holy Sepulcher. On Golgotha stones are deep cracks. Thus, according to tradition, blood, expired from the side of Christ, flowing in razverzshiesya Golgotha stones hit on the head of Adam was buried here, probably signifying that the Lord of His precious Blood washed the original sin of man, which entered the world through the fall of Adam. Letters HS and HA, often accompanying this symbolic image, indicate: Mount Calvary and the head of Adam, respectively.

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dedulya37, thanks for the interesting question.