Archeology
Through the ages man has devised ways of protecting himself from the mysterious force known as “death” to no avail. Death always comes. The truth is, one moment a person can be alive and well and the next, dead with the only difference between the two being animation of the body. As much as we know about how death occurs, there is still precious little known about death itself.
Archeology gives us a chance to see how previous generations dealt with death and the rituals they associated with it. Some dig sites also give us a view into the beliefs that humans have about the dead rising from the grave. The possibility of a loved one returning from the mystery that is death is a frightening one. It is difficult enough for family and friends to grieve for the dead person but this is a natural occurrence. If the dead person were to return to life and attempt to reintegrate back into society, this would destroy the natural cycle and bring calamity and destruction. (Tsaliki, 1999) Therefore, further measures to ensure that the dead stay dead are needed.
Fear of death, dying and the dead is apparent in many burial sites, but the most talked about are the burials at Killteasheen in Ireland, the famous “Vampire of Venice”, and the skeleton unearthed at Lesbos in Greece.
Archeology gives us a chance to see how previous generations dealt with death and the rituals they associated with it. Some dig sites also give us a view into the beliefs that humans have about the dead rising from the grave. The possibility of a loved one returning from the mystery that is death is a frightening one. It is difficult enough for family and friends to grieve for the dead person but this is a natural occurrence. If the dead person were to return to life and attempt to reintegrate back into society, this would destroy the natural cycle and bring calamity and destruction. (Tsaliki, 1999) Therefore, further measures to ensure that the dead stay dead are needed.
Fear of death, dying and the dead is apparent in many burial sites, but the most talked about are the burials at Killteasheen in Ireland, the famous “Vampire of Venice”, and the skeleton unearthed at Lesbos in Greece.