15th February 2009, 11:55 AM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by Dirty Dave Lincoln
Surely the idea of burying people in the first place was to insure that their remains would not be harmed and that they could be left undisturbed for all time.
Not so sure that the above is true for all peoples of all cultures and of all periods. There is a famous scene in Hamlet where Shakespeare uses the sexton to describe the purpose of burial as effectively being one of sanitised defleshing, until such a point as the 'dry bones' can be efficently disposed of. My guess (based on lots of experience of late medieval and early modern burials) is that he accurately describes a fairly relaxed attitude to the sanctity of human remains.
As I can think of two modern-day countries where that is still the case (where burial ground is in effect rented for a fixed period of time and after that time relatives are invited to either collect the bones of their loved ones or allow their disposal through cremation) I am sure that such practices are fairly common.
I would suggest that as archaeologists/anthropologists we take care in how we attribute modern western mores to our study groups.
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...