Description
Book SynopsisIn this innovative book Dr Morris seeks to show the many ways in which the excavated remains of burials can and should be a major source of evidence for social historians of the ancient Graeco-Roman world.
Trade Review"Morris represents a new wave of research in archaeology, and his book is welcome....It is engagingly written and unites a great deal of wide-ranging information." Choice
"Morris has written an excellent book about the interpretation of ancient burial remains and the use of such interpretations for social history." Religious Studies Review
"While aimed primarily at social historians, this work will also be of significant interest to classical archaeologists looking for creative approaches to interpreting the graves they excavate...I once heard an anthropologist claim that classical archaeology has not produced a theorist of note since Pausanias. Morris, citing recent work on Greek burials, asserts that the field may yet answer its critics. This work is part of that response." Clark A. Walz, American Journal of Archaeology
Table of Contents1. The anthropology of a dead world; 2. 'Mos Romanus': cremation and inhumation in the Roman empire; 3. 'Dem bones': skeletal remains; 4. Taking it with you: grave-goods and Athenian democracy; 5. Monuments to the dead: display and wealth in classical Greece; 6. Famous last words: the inscribed tombstone; 7. At the bottom of the graves: an example of analysis; 8. Conclusion; Bibliographical essay; Bibliography; Index.
