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Author: Mike Parker Pearson
Edition: Paperback February 2001 (250 pages)
ISBN: 158544099X
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Price: $16.35
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Pearson reviews the latest research in this huge field by studying the burial methods and rituals of peoples from the ancient and recent past. Pearson draws on case studies from different periods and locations throughout the world, including the Paleolithic in Europe and the Near East, the Mesolithic in northern Europe, and the Iron Age in Asia and Europe. He also discusses ancient Egypt and Madagascar, the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Britain and Europe, the Anglo- Saxons, Native Americans, and those committing wartime atrocities.
By studying the various ways in which societies have buried and honored - or failed to honor - their dead, historians learn about a culture's world views, social organization, and way of life. By examining bodies of the deceased, archaeologists can learn about a particular person's status and rank in life, gender, what diseases he or she suffered from, and even what the person ate for his or her last meal. Such clues give archaeologists powerful insight into the worlds of the past.
With photos and line drawings to enhance the text, Parker Pearson devotes chapters to what can be learned from the dead; ethnoarchaeology; reading the body; status, rank, and power; gender and kinship; placement of the dead; the human experience of death; and excavating remains. He also describes the political and ethical controversies surrounding human remains and the problems of reburial, looting, and war crimes.
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