Living with the Dead: 7 Gruesome Facts About Human Burial History
From prehistoric burials to overcrowded Victorian churchyards, our treatment of the dead reveals a lot about the living.
Human societies have long grappled with the question of how to treat the dead, with varying answers offering insight into life, faith, and human relationships.
Historian Roger Luckhurst, author of Graveyards: A History of Living with the Dead, believes that burial practices reflect the living and their societies as much as they do the dead.
Famous discoveries like Tutankhamun's tomb and the Anglo-Saxon burial at Sutton Hoo have centered around the notion of burial.
Those many varying answers offer a valuable insight into how people across history have understood life, faith and human relationships.
This historical perspective on burial practices provides a unique window into the values and beliefs of past societies.
Author's summary: Exploring human burial history reveals insights into life and society.