-
Rural Cemeteries and the Advent of American Public Parks
Public parks are a large part of American culture, offering familiar spaces. Parks may be a commonplace landscape, but they have an unusual origin – cemeteries. A Response to Urbanization and Industrial America During the United States’s urban expansion of the 1800s, cemeteries were located within towns and cities; many of these cemeteries were graveyards…
-
A Brief History of Coffins to Caskets
The terms ‘coffin’ and ‘casket’ are often used interchangeably and are probably not unfamiliar to you, but they are indeed two different things. The easiest way to discern them is by their shape. Coffins are six-sided, widening at the shoulders and tapering at the feet, using anthropometric measurements, or measurements of the human body. Caskets,…
-
Book Recommendations: Who Studies the Dead?
Last week we took a look at just a handful of professions that study the dead, whether they’re part of a contemporary forensic case or an archaeological excavation. This is in no way a complete list of all the books available, but below are books that take an inside look into some of the professions…
-
Catacombs, Crypts, and Columbaria: Internment Beyond the Cemetery
When one thinks about the places in which the dead are interred (if one thinks, but let’s face it, if you’re reading this blog then you’ve probably thought about it), the first image that probably comes to mind is that of a cemetery. Cemeteries, after all, are generally located within view of the public and…
-
Symbols in Stone: Cemetery Iconography
INTRODUCTION Cemeteries are beautiful and entrancing locations, often awash with an air of mystery. Cemeteries are more than just the final resting place for loved ones, they are repositories of history and culture. Iconography, or images and symbols, on headstones, are one lens through which we may look at the past. As these images are…
Month: October 2024
Kyla Hammond
K.C.Hammond@ahistoryofdeath.com
I started this blog to share with others the fascinating human history of death, and show that there is much the living can learn from the dead.
Archives