Page 4 - SAMPLE Secrets of the Dead

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Introducing the Dead
The remains of our ancestors are all around us. They lie in graveyards, cemeteries, churches and temples, stone tombs and burial mounds. Most cultures throughout history believed it important to treat the dead with care, and many approaches have been used to either lay to rest, preserve or respectfully dispose of human remains.
Sometimes bones are even turned into works of art and
put on display. In St Michael’s Chapel in Hallstatt, Austria, hundreds of beautifully painted skulls are stored, some decorated with wreaths, flowers, coloured crosses, and the dead person’s name and year of their death. Tunnels under Paris that were once ancient stone quarries now house the remains of millions of people – their skulls and bones lining walls in ordered layers. The ancient skeleton of a man called Saint Pancratius was even given a spectacular suit of armour.
In most environments, when someone dies their body’s soft tissues decay over time, leaving only the skeleton – skull, bones and teeth – behind. However, in mummified remains, soft tissues are preserved; they come to us in a more complete form. When we look at a mummy, we are reminded of the person they used to be and learn about the time and place they lived in,
from the food that they ate to the diseases they suffered from.
Painted Skulls
St Michael’s Chapel, Austria
Egyptian scarab amulet
(found by M. Ralphs)
Saint Pancratius Church of St Nikolaus, Switzerland