From Plastered Skulls to Palliative Care: What the Past Can Teach Us About Dealing with Death

Abstract

Modern, advanced healthcare detects and monitors long-term and life-limiting illness more comprehensively than ever before. Death is now, however, often considered as medical failure, and is a virtually taboo topic of conversation in daily life. At a time when the relevance of archaeology is under scrutiny, the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds’ project – a collaboration between archaeology and palliative care – explores the potential of the past to promote discussion. Not only does archaeology illuminate the diversity of practice surrounding death, the past provides a safe, distanced platform for considering death, dying and bereavement today. Through archaeological and ethnographic case studies, healthcare professionals explore topics such as place, choice and identity, in both personal and professional life. This paper explores some of the most thought-provoking materials and participant responses, and discusses the implications for contemporary society and for the ways in which archaeologists interpret mortuary practices of the past.

Iron Age Mnemonics: A Biographical Approach to Dwelling in Later Prehistoric Britain

“…Klass et al 1996; Stroebe et al 2012; Walter 1996), and though not the focus of the present discussion, its applicability in archaeological contexts (and to archaeological interpretation) is being increasingly recognized (e.g. Büster et al 2018, 268–70; Croucher 2018; Croucher et al 2020). Indeed, the concept of maintaining ‘continuing bonds’ with the dead through material culture (such as curated artefacts) might be especially important in societies with no formal burial tradition, such as those of Iron Age Britain (Büster in press).…”

‘Problematic stuff’: death, memory and the interpretation of cached objects

“…A recent study exploring the applicability of archaeology in discussions of death, dying and bereavement with healthcare professionals (Büster et al 2018;Croucher et al 2020) reveals that objects are central to the maintenance of continuing bonds: my mum died very suddenly when I was 25 […] and just before she died, she'd bought a big tub of Horlicks [a malted-milk drink powder] which she gave to me for some reason, because she bought two on offer or something, and I could not throw this away. It was in the cupboard for five years!…”

Bog bodies

“…The conclusion of this book, Chapter 9, returns to the 'riddling power' of the bog body and its unnerving and moving sway over our imagination, navigating its resonant power in bringing difficult truths to light. Ultimately, it will argue that alongside more formal burials, these remains should be foregrounded as ways of encouraging debates over violence, mortality and the human story -encouraging both public and professionals to 'talk more of the dead' (Büster et al 2018).…”