The Public Archaeology of Death
edited by Howard Williams, Benedict Wills-Eve and Jennifer Osborne
Hardback (Published)
(September 2018)
ISBN: 9781781795934
6.81 x 9.65 inches
Price: $100.00
In stock
From the tomb of Tutankhamun to the grave of Richard III, archaeologists have studied, displayed and debated rich and varied evidence of the burial and commemoration of the dead from past times to the present day. Mortuary data is not only a key window into the human past, it defines and resonates through 20th and 21st-century popular culture. Yet, in many regards, archaeologists’ engagements with death and the dead are contentious and problematic, emotional and political. For instance, in what circumstances if at all is it ethical to dig up and display human remains? What do people learn from meeting ancient people in museums and heritage sites? How significant is mortuary archaeology in our own present-day imaginings of prehistoric and historical societies, as well as fantastical and fictional societies portrayed in literature and film?
From the tomb of Tutankhamun to the grave of Richard III, archaeologists have studied, displayed and debated rich and varied evidence of the burial and commemoration of the dead from past times to the present day. Mortuary data is not only a key window into the human past, it defines and resonates through 20th and 21st-century popular culture. Yet, in many regards, archaeologists’ engagements with death and the dead are contentious and problematic, emotional and political. For instance, in what circumstances if at all is it ethical to dig up and display human remains? What do people learn from meeting ancient people in museums and heritage sites? How significant is mortuary archaeology in our own present-day imaginings of prehistoric and historical societies, as well as fantastical and fictional societies portrayed in literature and film? Tackling questions such as these, osteoarchaeologists and mortuary archaeologists have often found themselves at the forefront of the public engagements for interdisciplinary and archaeological research. This book identifies a series of lacunae in recent discussions of mortuary archaeology’s interactions with contemporary society. It aims to re-evaluate the range and character of public mortuary archaeology critically through a range of case studies from the UK, Europe and farther afield. In particular, this book seeks to address a network of relationships between mortality, material culture and archaeological theory, method and practice through a series of themes that connect the digging, display and dissemination of mortuary contexts and remains with wider popular culture themes and media.
Foreword Jodie Lewis Introduction Dead Relevant: Introducing the Public Archaeology of Death Howard Williams, Benedict Wills-Eve, Jennifer Osborne Chapter 1 The St Patrick's Chapel Excavation Project: Public Engagement with the Rescue Excavation of an Early Medieval Cemetery in South West Wales Marion Shiner, Katie A. Hemer, Rhiannon Comeau Chapter 2 Death's Diversity: the Case of Llangollen Museum Suzanne Evans, Howard Williams Chapter 3 Displaying the Deviant: Sutton Hoo's Sand People Madeline Walsh, Howard Williams Chapter 4 Grave Expectations: Burial Posture in Popular and Museum Representations Sian Mui Chapter 5 Photographing the Dead: Images in Public Mortuary Archaeology Chiara Bolchini Chapter 6 Envisioning Death in the Viking Age: Artistic Reconstructions in Medieval Archaeology Leszek Garde?a Chapter 7 Envisioning Cremation Aaron Watson, Howard Williams Chapter 8 Controversy Surrounding Human Remains from the First World War Sam Munsch Chapter 9 Here lies 'ZOMBIESLAYER2000', May He Rest in Pieces: Mortuary Archaeology in MMOs, MMORPGs, and MOBAs Rachael Mary Nicholson Chapter 10 Death's Drama: Mortuary Practice in Vikings Season 1-4 Howard Williams Afterword Afterword Karina Croucher
- Edited by Jennifer Osborne
- Edited by Howard Williams
- Edited by Benedict Wills-Eve
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