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Cremation and the Archaeology of Death
Synopsis
The fiery transformation of the dead is replete in our popular culture and Western modernity's death ways, and yet it is increasingly evident how little this disposal method is understood by archaeologists and students of cognate disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. In this regard, the archaeological study of cremation has much to offer. Cremation is a fascinating and widespread theme and entry-point in the exploration of the variability of mortuary
practices among past societies.
Seeking to challenge simplistic narratives of cremation in the past and present, the studies in this volume seek to confront and explore the challenges of interpreting the variability of cremation by contending with complex networks of modern allusions and imaginings of cremations past and present and ongoing debates regarding how we identify and interpret cremation in the archaeological record. Using a series of original case studies, the book investigates the archaeological traces of
cremation in a varied selection of prehistoric and historic contexts from the Mesolithic to the present in order to explore cremation from a practice-oriented and historically situated perspective.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
In conclusion, this volume considerably advances our understanding of ancient cremation and the past peoples who practiced it * Carrie L. Sulosky Weaver, University of Pittsburgh , The Classical Journal * Cremation and the Archaeology of Death is as much about archaeological methods as cultural history...the volume brings together 13 case studies to explore issues such as fire technology, the use of pyre-goods, and the transformational power of burning the dead. On the evidence of this book, the study of cremation should accordingly occupy a much more prominent place in our study of past societies. * Stuart Brookes, Current World Archaeology *