| Abstract: |
Comprehensive study of excavated monastic cemeteries which analyses some 8,000 graves from more than seventy cemeteries in England, Wales and Scotland, focusing principally on medieval religious houses (c 1050 to c 1600 AD). Comparative evidence is drawn from cathedrals, parish churches and Jewish cemeteries. A reassessment of later medieval Christian burials is offered, based on a multidisciplinary framework using medieval visual and written sources to emphasise the sequential nature of medieval death. Archaeological evidence is analysed to consider spatial, regional and chronological trends, from the level of the landscape down to the treatment of individual bodies. The significance of social identity, the agency of mourners, and the role of the family and community in medieval burial rituals are discussed, as are the zoning of graves and their location in relation to other topographical features, the preparation of the body for burial, the range and significance of containers for the dead. Archaeological evidence is presented for the construction of the grave and positioning of the corpse within it, graveside rites, the completion and marking of the grave, and the disturbance of burials. Chronological analysis allows recognition of major changes in mortuary practice. Osteological evidence is used to discuss palaeodemographic profiles of monasteries in relation to parish churches, hospitals and London's Black Death cemeteries, and to discuss the impact of the monastic lifestyle as indicated in the skeletal remains. The book is complemented by a web-mounted database archived with the Archaeology Data Service. Includes French and German summaries, and |
