The Stuff of Death

Natural disasters abound in the news in the last few years.  Perhaps it’s just that there is so much media saturation and nothing sells like Mother Nature on a rampage. 

That aside, I’ve been thinking about natural disasters and death contexts lately...brought on by this archaeology of death course and puzzling weather: snow storms last week with lots of beautiful snow and a strangely powerful thunderstorm last night. 

How death fits in with this is that I’ve been wondering what an archaeologist at some future time would think about my life and death if my house was freakishly preserved intact.  What stories would they come up with in terms of status and identity? 

The picture my life would paint would certainly have some mysteries.  Two female skeletons side by side, one on its back and one on its side, one feline skeleton near the heads of the human remains and one near the feet.  There would be evidence of medical care in the healed orbital fractures of the skeleton on its back.  Evidence of offerings would also abound:

• strange plastic balls with bells inside;
• an odd-shaped (ritual?) basin;

Ceremonial basin?

Gateway to the Afterlife?

•  a wire and cloth ceremonial tube perhaps symbolizing the gateway to the afterlife;

• alms to the bird-gods of spirit with coins on display inside 

Alms for the Afterlife?

Seems to me that the material culture of any society can be infinitely misinterpreted without having the social context to make sense of it. 

Sure glad that no-one needs to interpret my material world just yet!