Burying the Dead: An Archaeological History of Burial Grounds, Graveyards and Cemeteries

by Lorraine Evans

Deep in the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, there lies a rather unusual burial ground, an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery. Twelve skeletons were unearthed by archaeologists, ten without skulls, later examination of the skeletons revealed that their owners were all subjected to judicial execution by decapitation, one of which required several blows.

Similar fates have befallen other wretched souls, the undignified burial of suicides - in the Middle Ages, the most profound of sins - and the desecration of their bodies, go largely unrecorded. Whilst plague pits, vast cemeteries where victims of the Black Death were tossed into the ground, their bodies festering one on top of another, are only today betraying their secrets.

Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important part of our social heritage. They have been fashioned as much by the people who founded and used them, as by the buildings, gravestones and other features which they contain. They are records of social change; the symbols engraved upon individual memorials convey a sense of inherent belief systems, as they were constructed, adapted or abandoned depending on people's needs.

Symbols of Mortality explores how these attitudes, practices and beliefs about death have undergone continual change. By studying the development of society's funerary spaces, the author will reveal how we continue to reinforce our relationships with the dead, in a constant and on-going effort to maintain a bond with them.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Archaeology, Death, Anthropology, British Literature

216 pages, Hardcover

Published December 28, 2020

Reviews

[Vonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A summary of burial practice across the world and archaelogical digs. This book was well researched but alas the writting was dry and exactly like a textbook. Paragraphs that go on for pages and pages showed the need perhaps for help in the structure and grammar.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read Burying the Dead: An Archaeological History of Burial Grounds, Graveyards and Cemeteries by Lorraine Evans. It's very well researched and put together. It reminded me very much of a fascinating college course I took. However, I have to admit I was expecting more history and less about modern day issues and practices. I was also hoping for more of a broad discussion on the topic when it comes to geography.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little of a "dry" read, but super interesting none the less. It tackles some heavy subjects that could possibly upset people, so beware of that. In my opinion, I think this book lends itself more to periodic reading, then one you would pick up and read as you would a fictional book. I like to call these types of books "bathroom books" 😂

**ARC Via NetGalley**

[Beth Younge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very informative and intriguing read. There were a couple of points that were too shallow and needed to be expanded further as they were underdeveloped. The focus on the more modern time period was okay but i was more interested in the further back history. I did find the section about the future of burials interesting and it made me reflect on the future and how we will cope.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to begin with this utterly gripping and thoroughly researched book? Truly. I learned so much about different cultures and rituals through burials, ancient through medieval to current times...the quality and quantity of information is mind blowing. From barrow mounds to ship burials to prostitute cemeteries to ossuaries to executions to sky burials, it's all here. And then some.

Religion plays a huge role in burial, of course. Status and class used to be as well, as evinced by what was/was not buried with the person. To this day many cannot afford to bury their dead and do otherwise. Soldiers, prisoners, lepers and people at sea need(ed) to be buried, too. Some cultures use coffins, some do not. Some religions bury, some cremate. Unfortunately, mass graves have resulted from genocide, sacrifices, plagues and war.

It may sound morbid but the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic is fascinating to see, as are the Jewish cemetery in Prague and Capuchin crypt in Rome. Many European churchyards are evocative and set in beautiful surroundings. When exploring them I always wonder what the people who were buried there were like, what they did, how they lived. The author discusses this, too, as well as evidence about how people died.

Green burials and other modern options are discussed at the end. Pore over the fascinating photographs.

Those intrigued by history, especially the history of death and burial, will be undoubtedly find this book rewarding. Though the topic may have the appearance of ghoul, the broad takeaway is learning more about people.

My sincere gratitude to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this mesmerizing book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This book was received as an Advanced Copy from NetGalley.

I think a lot of the bigger questions people have surround death. Not just what happens after; but the various customs, methods, and mysteries that surround the physical what happens after. For instance, this book seeks to tell a history of graveyards, cemeteries, burial grounds, and other methods for the disposal of human beings.

Scoping through history, Evans takes us to the various ways people have been buried throughout time. Such as those that were considered deviant (vampires eh?), mass graves resulting from plague or war, the graveyards of non-humans (planes, trains, and tanks), and even some of the more modern ways of body disposal (water 'cremation' and tree planting).

While I found the book interesting in the subject matter, I did have trouble getting through it and though it was dry. At one point, cemeteries were being listed with decor and people buried in it (few I had heard of) and the fact recitation got a bit tedious. While this would be a good book for research, it just doesn't lend itself as well to reading for the fun of it.

Still, if you ever wanted to know some of the lesser known facts surrounding burial, this is a good place to start.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 3 out of 5]

trigger warning
genocide, death by fire, lethal illnesses, child death

Normally, I'd start the review with an overview of the content, but I see neither rhyme nor reason. It's weird and notable facts concerning remains of humans, animals and vehicles.
We start with pagan funerary rites, largely concentrating on the United Kingdom, go over to church burials and noting when we have what confirmed through archaeological work.

There's a gruesome chapter about mass graves, focussing on death through pandemics, famine and genocide. The chapter about war cemeteries is mostly a really long list of cemeteries for soldiers, and again, mostly focussed on British dealings.

The last chapter was the most interesting to me, about how different nations tackle the issue of running out of space for gravesides, and new methods of storing mortal remains.

We have footnotes, but not as many as I'd have like. There is no question if I could use this for uni, I'd rather not. If you're looking for fun facts, this includes a lot. Some parts are more entertaining or more informatory than others.

But please, don't apologise for puns.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burial practices have changed over time, but sometimes those changes are subtle and can go unnoticed by those who are not looking closely.
With the changes in the layout of graveyards and cemeteries, it is not something that is widely noticeable. This is because most of the changes are buried, meaning that unless you dig up the bones, you are not going to see the many changes that have occurred. Thankfully, we have archaeologists, and they are excavating the many changes that have been undertaken over the last several centuries.

Lorraine Evans does a great job of going through the many different burial practices and laying out why each might have been used. From grave goods to suspected vampires, you get a little of everything in this book. I absolutely LOVED this one! It was very engaging and highly enjoyable.

[Diane (Totally Historic) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burying the Dead was more of a summary of historical burial practices and archaeological sites than an in-depth study. Therefore, for me, it is more useful as a reference book and as a source of topics for further research. It lacked discussion, and many themes were underdeveloped. It honestly read more like a college textbook in that it just laid out facts much of the time. There isn't anything inherently wrong with that, just not what I quite expected.

Additionally, while a variety of burial sites throughout the world were covered, it was heavy on the UK. Finally, my two major gripes were: 1. While the subject itself is fascinating and there is good information in here, the text is incredibly academic and dry. 2. There is no index! It boggles my mind that an academic book that summarizes a myriad of burial sites and practices has no index.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burying the Dead was a fascinating read that explored burial practices through the ages and around the world. There were some aspects I was already aware of, but I also learnt some new and interesting facts along the way. Evans managed to avoid her prose becoming too dry, the information present succinctly yet with excellent references and illustrations. This is a book that will appeal to anyone interested in history and archaeology, as well as those intrigued by cemeteries and burial practices. I particularly enjoyed the wide range of examples cited, taking us from Europe to Asia and South America. 4.5 stars from me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[S. A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at various burial practices throughout time and place, and an admirable range of cultures and historical periods covered, but always a touch superficially? I felt like it could have benefitted by going more in-depth with each area. The writing was also a bit dry and not especially engaging, but the content was interesting enough.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

So when it comes down to burying the dead no one really thinks about the process or the ritual that the whole aspect of burying the dead had to go through. I loved all the information that this book contained! This book is really researched to a "T". The author researched many different perspectives and knew her history!  I loved that she went through so many different types of burials to some that I knew of like the ship burials and then the sky burials that I literally had no inkling about it.
I also loved how she pointed out cultural aspects and religious aspects to the type of burials that occured. I loved that the author went for it, that she covered a lot of information and the book was not too lengthy. I gained a lot of insight and really enjoyed the book. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting insight into the history and practices of burying the dead. 

[Thieving Magpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I have a rather weird obsession with burial rites, death, true crime and anything related to those topics. I have leant so much about burial rites, it's amazing and I am certain I can use more authentic burial methods to my own writing now as well!
A perfect book, yet some might consider its topic rather macabre but especially for Halloween, I'd consider it a Must Read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC!

[Tammy Buchli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look into a somewhat macabre, but deeply interesting subject. Well researched and written in lively, accessible language.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was this book??? I have no idea of the audience here. It is often (and importantly so at the beginning) too academic for those who like popular history or archaeology. The information is too basic for experts and not focused enough for use in any kind of classroom, even in excerpted form.

So this focus thing, it's part of another problem. A huge problem with the writing. The biggest issue is that it seems stream of consciousness. There is no organization or really rhyme or reason here. The occasional transition is attempted, but in a conversational style that does not work on the page, as I tell my undergraduate college students regularly. Before 20% on the ebook I was already wondering how much was left. With a physical book I would have been constantly flipping back or putting a bookmark in the last page so I could see it drawing near. Mercifully, it was at least short. It felt like copy and paste from a popular history personality on social media, with the occasional full length blog post. Those things are great for that forum, and a fun dive for the day, but lined up are incredibly tedious. There were what amounted to ads for different burial options. Historical snippets throughout time and space and across the globe.

But there are many other large issues. The Eurocentrism and imperial perspective is insidious. This does not just come up when talking about imperial spaces, like a conversation about WWII Dutch remains in Indonesian waters, but is woven throughout. The book is loosely organized into "the pagan way," churchyards, and cemeteries. "The pagan way" is the entirety of time, space, and cultures except Christian, Jewish, and the occasional nod to Muslim. Hindu seems to not be included here at least, but everything from 4th century Britain to modern Oceania is dumped together. Britain is central, which is understandable from a British archaeology PhD candidate, but should be more blatantly presented as a distinct focus. Because of the organization, and possibly the author's biases, premodern beliefs are deprecated, and modern "pagan" practices are given the same tinge. Notably, the author's specialty - ancient Egypt - does not appear here. Churchyards and cemeteries provide a rough chronological transition, in Europe, which seems to explain those categories.

I debated on two stars because there is a wide range of interesting discussions to be had from this material. But the problems are just too much, and I would actively discourage anyone from reading it. There are better options. Or find someone fun to follow on social media for similar content with better presentation.

Thank you to Lorraine Evans, Pen and Sword Books, and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I am sorry it wasn't more positive.

[Graculus · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book pop up on Netgally, I immediately put in a request as it's the kind of thing I'm interested in - anthropology and archaeology, especially books which try to cover a wide range of practices across the world, rather than just focussing on how we do things in Europe. In particular, Burying the Dead is about what we do once people have died, how we deal with their remains and the places we do that.

Unfortunately, this book promised a lot and only delivered on some of it for me. I can imagine this wasn't the easiest book to research in a lot of ways but the choices being made puzzled me a little. There's a whole section on Victorian graveyards, for example, that suddenly goes into tourist guidebook prose about those London graveyards called 'the Magnificent Seven': where they are, how big they are and what famous people are buried there. Likewise, there's a bit of a self-indulgent wander into the research the author herself has done in Scotland at one point, which left me metaphorically scratching my head a little.

The general themes covered by the book are how burials took place before Christianity, the introduction of organised religion into burial practices, what you did with people who were 'deviant' in some way (criminals, people who had transgressed religious rules, etc), mass graves, burial at sea. Then there's a chapter on what we do with cars and planes, where I can kind of see the links across but wondered about its inclusion. After that, we hit the major cemetery age, there's a chapter about war burials and memorials and then a final chapter on more modern options for burial.

There's some interesting stuff in this book but I felt it was a bit of a missed opportunity to spend more time outside Europe and the Western hemisphere and be more inclusive. The focus was very much on this part of the world, to the detriment of Africa in particular - to be honest, other than a mention in the war graves section, there didn't seem to be much mention of that entire continent.

There was also poor formatting in the copy I received as an eARC, which had a number of places (at least 5 or 6) where there were repeated words. Hopefully, that will get sorted out before the book is actually published in January 2021.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[lifelonghistorylover · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Thank you very much to Rosie Crofts and Pen & Sword for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Burying the Dead: An Archaeological History of Burial Grounds, Graveyards and Cemeteries by Lorraine Evans.
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Archaeology and burials are two things I am very interested in, so this title immediately caught my attention. In her book, Lorraine Evans takes us around the world examining the customs, practices, and methods of what people have done with their dead throughout history, and how it differs depending on class, religion, and culture. Burying the Dead is a mix of archaeology, historical and modern mortuary practices, and a look into possible practices of the future.
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The book starts with what pre-Christians did with their dead and ends with a chapter that looks at how we might do things in the future, as more and more people die. At the time of writing Burying the Dead, the author writes that it was estimated that there are 101 billion dead people on the planet, and another 7 billion are set to join them in the next century. It will be interesting to see how mortuary practices may possibly change with time.
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As well as archaeology, there is the chapter Boneyards of Steel which explores the ‘graveyards’ of cars, trains, ships, submarines, and planes etc. I thought the inclusion of such a chapter was very clever and interesting.
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There are some detailed glossy black and white photos included in the book, some of my favourites were the excavation of the Oseberg ship burial in 1904, Spirit Box Houses in Alaska and Deviant ‘vampire’ burials in Poland. You can tell the author has great knowledge and passion for the subject and she has done a great job of fitting such a broad topic into just 216 pages. Burying the Dead is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing you should know going into this book is that is largely centered on UK sites, branching out into parts of Europe, and very occasionally to Africa and the Americas.

The first two chapters cover older burial customs and archaeological digs, styles of tombs, such as boat graves and charnel houses. This is followed by a chapter on "deviant" burials, a fascinating look at the burials of criminals, pirates, lepers, prostitutes, and those feared to be witches or vampires or both. After this are chapters on mass Ggraves due to famine, plague, war, and genocide (a particularly hard chapter to read), on burial at sea, non-organic graveyards (the final resting places of planes, trains, and automobiles), on slightly more modern burial grounds (referencing, to my delight, Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans and Anne Rice's use of the local in The Vampire Chronicles), on pet cemeteries, on war memorials, and finally a chapter on modern alternative funerary and burial practices.

Good stuff, yes? The subject matter is fascinating, but the presentation is problematic. Evans is clearly not a writer. There is little story here, the book is mostly paragraph after paragraph (and some paragraphs last for THREE pages)listing names, dates, and locales. This is fine enough, I suppose, for a textbook, but as a social history it is dry. I wish Ms Evans would have hired a ghost writer to help her out and make her informative book more user friendly. It would have made all the difference in the world.

[L A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book when I first started reading it. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I consider myself a death scholar. I won the Thomas Reid prize in 2020 for my book collection related to death and burial practices and am currently undergoing my Masters Degree with a focus on Ancient Funerary Practices in Greece and Rome so I don't feel too out of place saying that I know some stuff on this topic.

The book is written in quite a haphazard way. It jumps about from topic to topic and there isn't always a coherent structure to the paragraphs or chapters. A bit of editing might have helped it out but I didn't find anything to make the book unreadable. I genuinely looked forward to picking up my kindle to read it.

However, I felt that the sheer range of topics covered was really ambitious and not necessarily in a bad way. If the book was touting itself as some impeccably researched academic text I might be a bit miffed but it falls firmly into the popular history/culture camp and in that sense provides a great starting point for anyone wanting to dip in and out of the subject. I didn't personally learn anything new but I think any layman or new researcher who is just starting to dip their toes into the subject will be provided with a good starting point.

It was really cool to see examples from my neck of the woods too (the Black Isle).

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death culture and funerary rituals are part of an extensive historiographical field. From pagan burials to mass graves, both on land and at sea, Evans seeks to address the archaeological aspects of mortality and the intricate symbolism that has evolved in this macabre yet fascinating history. Regarding Yorkshire, in Walkington Wold lies an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery, where twelve skeletons were unearthed, ten without skulls, revealing subjection to judicial execution by decapitation; meanwhile, in the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy, skeletons had undergone deliberate mutilation. Further afield, Evans explores similar undignified burials, including suicides, plague pits from the Black Death, and deviant burials as a result of superstition and hysteria, namely ‘vampire burials.’ 

Whether graves are ostentatious or subtle, symbolism pervades cemeteries and churchyards through the use of floriography or memento mori. They represent social changes and convey inherent beliefs. From mass graves as a result of genocide or pandemic, to ossuaries, excarnation, and cremation, Evans takes us to several continents and interestingly discusses future issues of body disposal. Ultimately, the meanings of death, the disposal of the dead, and symbolism vary among religions and cultures, which this piece of research succinctly explores.

I am fascinated by the history of death, burial rites, and funerary customs, so this book was right up my street!

[Ophelia Sings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funerary customs are a subject close to my heart, so Burying the Dead was a delicious prospect. In many ways, it didn't disappoint; there's lots of information here, much of which I was previously unaware of (and I'm pretty widely read on the topic). Vast in scope, it begins with the burial rites of early humans, although it does focus primarily on UK sites. It's also exhaustively researched and impressive in detail.

The issue here is that it's not what you'd call a lively read (no pun intended). Indeed, the information is presented in an incredibly dry manner which after a while becomes a tad grating, even dull, which is a great shame considering the subject matter is anything but. It reads much like a text book, which is fine, if it's a text book you're after. Entertaining, this is not - however, facts are presented in an uncluttered way, uncoloured by the author's voice, which may appeal to some. It's not an ideal introduction to the to the topic, either - there are other, livelier books out there which would suit the newcomer better.

Not without its merits by any means, this is a book for serious deadheads only.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Samuel Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really engaging overview of the topic, with a couple of surprises therein. Because it tries to be encapsulating there’s not a ton of depth to any one story, so it winds up being a quantity over quality thing, but at least every bit brought up in interesting even without deeper dives. Lots and lots about England and Europe, less with Australia, native peoples, and Asia, but it’s understandable considering the authors background and how the book would need to be gargantuan to include everything (and there are some really interesting Middle East stories so y mostly just feels like someone stuffing their bag to the brim at a candy store). If you live in an area talked about have google maps handy to start setting ‘want to go’ flags!

[Nicole Cober-Lake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although claiming to be an archaeological history, Burying the Dead reads more like a catalogue of world cemeteries, sorted by type. There is no real analysis of burial customs, art or architectural discussion of physical tombs, or much of anything except the names, locations, acreage, years of operation, and numbers of burials situated in various burial grounds. While there were interesting moments - like the discussion of mass casualty graves, or the overview of unique contemporary funerary options - the book was a disappointment overall. The abundant misuses of words and inappropriate commas didn't improve my impression of the whole.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you haven't really given much thought to burials, then this book will be a real eye-opener. "Burying the Dead" is a fascinating exploration of (as the subtitle says) burial grounds, graveyards, and cemeteries - and who knew there were so many different types? Lorraine Evans writes with a skill that gives each burial mentioned a sense of dignity and respect, which is hugely impressive. One for the reference bookshelf.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for a review.

This ended up being better than I thought it would be. The author goes through various burial rites for many countries and religions. She also talks about cemeteries and how they came to be and where they are headed.
I only gave it four stars because the first half of chapter one seemed so incredibly slow. But once I got into it I thought it was informative and written very well.
My favorite chapter of the book deals with how cemeteries are changing. It made me think and as someone who does genealogy it was great to read.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burying the Dead by Lorraine Evans was an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I took multiple forensic anthropology classes in college and I wish we had used this book. Wonderful in-depth reading about burying practices from all over the world and time. I wish I was still in contact with my forensic anthropology teacher as I would have recommended it to her. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about funerary practices and our history of burials.

[Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long been interested in burial practices and locations, so I was excited to get a chance to review this book. It's filled with information. I learned quite a bit from it. However, if you're looking to feel entertained while learning, this isn't for you. It was dry and felt like an info-dump at times. The four stars are still deserved as it is very well-researched and provides a good academic resource on the subject.

This unbiased review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘We bones, are here, waiting for yours.’

Lorraine has done some brilliant research on areas of death that are not as familiar such as mass graves, non-organic nature and underwater sites.

I found this book fascinating, and it really amazed me!

It is a book that will make you want to do more research/read other books on the subject of death.

My favourite chapters were:

* The Deviant Ones
* They Died In Heaps
* A Watery Grave

There was a very tiny snippet on the Titanic which I just loved of course.

An appendix is provided towards the end of the book giving you information on graveyard symbolism’s.

A must read for any history reader!

[Louise Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting account of burial practices across ages and cultures. It’s definitely not for readers who are looking for history presented in a non-academic way. The test is dense and the social analysis is fairly limited. That said, it is a fascinating book which covers an often taboo topic comprehensively. I learned a lot and found this book provides an insight into an often overlooked aspect of shared history.

[Tony Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well written summary of burial practice across the world and chronologically. I particularly love the section on metal boneyards, train planes and automobiles left to rot in quiet corners of the world.
This will a great introduction for the general public and those studying Anthropology and Archeology for the first time.