I've derived so much knowledge and enjoyment from people looking at bones that I'd be delighted to be dug up by archaeologists. Not, as BT says, that I'll know anything about it.
I'm reminded of Shakespeare's epitaph which urges the reader, ' ... for Jesus's sake forbeare' from disturbing the dust enclosed there.
'Blessed be he that spares these stones.
But cursed be he who moves my bones.'
Interesting how bones and 'relics' were still to be accorded some dignity even after the Reformation. Perhaps they were concerned about souvenir hunters?
Coming back to Madagascar again, they have the ceremony of the 'Turning of The Bones' whereby bodies are exhumed after around 3 years, cleaned and then carefully wrapped in white scarves before being reburied with their names written in felt pin or placed in caves. Bones are treated with great reverence and dignity.
I wouldn't mind an archaeologist examining mine and I've noticed on some of these archaeological programmes on the telly how they are beginning to take a more 'reverent' attitude than they used to.
But I can understand why people wouldn't want their mortal remains interfered with.
It wouldn't worry me but then I would prefer to be buried rather than cremated so I do have some concerns in that respect - although I wouldn't expect everyone to share my views on this issue.
In urban Greece they are running out of burial space. They don't do cremations there. I think you'd have to go to Bulgaria for that. They do exhume bones and put them in ossuaries.
People in the US frequently scatter ashes at a place the deceased loved, sometimes illegally. A friend's family scattered a loved one's ashes at Santa Anita racetrack.
Comments
'Blessed be he that spares these stones.
But cursed be he who moves my bones.'
Interesting how bones and 'relics' were still to be accorded some dignity even after the Reformation. Perhaps they were concerned about souvenir hunters?
Coming back to Madagascar again, they have the ceremony of the 'Turning of The Bones' whereby bodies are exhumed after around 3 years, cleaned and then carefully wrapped in white scarves before being reburied with their names written in felt pin or placed in caves. Bones are treated with great reverence and dignity.
I wouldn't mind an archaeologist examining mine and I've noticed on some of these archaeological programmes on the telly how they are beginning to take a more 'reverent' attitude than they used to.
But I can understand why people wouldn't want their mortal remains interfered with.
It wouldn't worry me but then I would prefer to be buried rather than cremated so I do have some concerns in that respect - although I wouldn't expect everyone to share my views on this issue.
In urban Greece they are running out of burial space. They don't do cremations there. I think you'd have to go to Bulgaria for that. They do exhume bones and put them in ossuaries.