Ram-Headed Gravestones at Aras Basin

At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.

The Egyptians also worried very much about the after life and made many preparations before the afterlife. There graves were very important to them, and they also did much to keep them from decaying after they passed. That is why they had the idea of mummification to allow them to not decay long after they passed. We also pay a lot of money to allow us to keep from decaying on our burials and the coffins.

Every individual experiences the act of death, and most persons experience the death of someone they know of. Whether family, kin, or someone infamous, the living deal with the process of dying. Anthropology seeks to understand the universal process of death ritual and how different cultures deal with death differently. An anthropologist can extract social values of a given culture, past or present, from how death ceremony is practiced. Such values could be regarding political hierarchy or an individual’s status in a society, and about a culture’s spiritual or religious faith. By exploring death ceremony in ancient Egypt, contemporary Hindu death practice in India, and current North American funerary rites, it can be illustrated that

The tombs had two main functions. The first function was a place that provided an eternal resting place in which the body could lay protected from thieves and scavengers. The second function of the tomb was a place where cults and ritual acts could be performed to ensure eternal life (Taylor, 2001:136). The body of the person was buried along with their belongings in the tomb to ensure the individual had all the proper materials needed for the afterlife. The Egyptians usually did this because “Tombs were constructed to mirror aspects of the afterlife” (Olson, 2009). These tombs were not only a place where bodies of a deceased lay; it was also a place where rituals would take place. One ritual that was done on the bodies was the ‘Opening of the Mouth’. This was a burial ritual that “accompanied the placement of funerary goods in a tomb- and was a necessary step in the deceased’s rebirth” (Olson, 2009). One very important service that had to be done was the mummification process in which the removal of organs

An unscrupulous archaeologist by the name of Henirich Hochstetter excavated the Shoen-Tell site in Turkey in the late 1920s. Hochstetter was interested more in antiquities than in data, so he provided little substantive information tot eh professional community about his dig or his findings. However, a conscientious assistant of Hochstetter’s, Roxanne Browne, managed to collect detailed information on fifty of the burials Hochstetter plundered. Her data is

The death-head designs did change over time, but this was to more “soften” and lessen the, so-to-say, fear associated with the death-head. When Deetz discussed gravestone epitaphs, he noted that original phrases, such as “here lies the body of,” is due to earlier markers being a marker. The later phrases, such as “sacred to the memory of…,” was because gravestones were being used more as in memoriam sites with a person being underground, in an urn by the stone, or used as a cenotaph for someone who is elsewhere. One of the last things Deetz mentions to us is that some of these “specialized craftsmen” really were not full-time specialists, but men that held jobs working with stones for the general public. However, even with these “specialists” not always being specialists, each carver had their own unique style to them. They, also, used specific types of stones. These specific stones are very helpful in determining the carver if they did not provide a signature because the stone would be unique to a certain geographic area. As you went out from the town, the stone type would gradually fade away, numerically, and other types of stones would come into play. Eventually, the sphere of influence of the maker would dissipate, and another

Jordan 102 H Reading Question #2: Epitaphs 1. What is the function of a funerary memorial (i.e. a tombstone) in societies generally? How can historians use them as evidence? What elements of the population will have a tombstone or other funerary memorial?

As you know all the different religions have special kind of funerals or mourning rituals for their heroes, pastors, and their legends. In this way the antique Iranian culture is full of the legends Heros, religious leaders, and war commanders that their names are very precious to people and is a major value which causes and creates national pride. On the other hand, these losses and sorrows are recorded in people’s mind and heart. If you take part in this type of rituals, you can visit

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

Ancient Assyrians during the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 911BC to 612BC had a set or funerary practices for the death of a human being. The death of a male in an Assyrian family is seen as an even worse family tragedy and therefore has a different set of burial practices and rituals. These burial rituals were important to the Ancient Assyrians, as they were a process of mourning.

The article above has discussed the concept of culture. It has mentioned its five primary characteristics encompassing the concepts of learning, sharing, integration, dynamism and symbolism. Besides, common features of culture have been put into perspective. The similar aspects here encompass purpose and mission, values and principles, rites of initiation, and history and traditions. The last issue that has been discussed encompass the overview of the physical geography, military conflict and its impact on the Turkish

Woolley’s fieldwork resulted in 1850 graves, 16 ‘royal graves’ found in the earliest portion of the cemetery stood out, however it is not their riches that make them unique. It is the uniqueness of their structures and the rituals which must have accompanied the burials which make the graves stand out from the others. Out of the sixteen, ten contained stone or brick stone tombs with one or more chambers, these ten were labelled the ‘Royal Tombs’. The other six lacked the tombs so these were referred to as the ‘Royal Death Pits’

Mankind’s history of burial practices and funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. There is no specific way to planning a funeral. Every civilization and culture has provided for their dead in different ways. Religion and personal beliefs play an important role in the burial practices and funeral customs of a given culture or civilization. Furthermore, each civilization and cultured ever studied have three things in common: some type of funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies; A sacred place for the dead; and memorialization of the dead. As far back as the time of Christ, burials have been noted to take place. In time burial and funeral customs have become very distinct, interesting and

Their purpose is to bring attention to the necessary conservation of 2000-year-old mummies in the Russian, Mongolian, Chinese and Kazakh Alti Mountains that are thawing due to climate change. Emphasis is made on the conservation of the organic remains found in the Scythian tombs such as wooden objects, food and especially the bodies of the mummies - of which many exhibit tattoos. Although slightly dated this article provides an in-depth account of the problems involved in mapping, excavating and preserving mummified remains, and the measures being taken to overcome them. The conservation of the tombs will ensure the cultures of the Eurasian steppe - including their practice of tattooing - can be

The Mesopotamians had a gloomy picture of the afterlife. They believed that the winged spirits of the dead were confined to a dark netherworld, doomed to perpetual hunger and thirst unless someone offered them food and drink. They believed that some spirits escaped to haunt live human beings. The most interesting thing about their vision of the afterlife is that in it, all humans suffered equally -- there was no special treatment for those who had some well and good in life or for those who had been poor or bad. There were burial rituals, and people were usually buried with pottery and other trinkets. There were not, however, tombstones or inscriptions to identify the dead. The explanation offered by Historians is that the Mesopotamians were mainly concerned with the problems of the mortal world and leading a good life before dying.