Secrets of the Ancient Dead: Deciphering the Past from Tombs, Graves and MummiesWhether in tomb, grave, burial pit, or peat bog, all around the world the ancient dead represent a challenge to make sense of their remains. How did they live? How did they die? How did they view the inevitable prospect of their death? And how did their society prepare for the soul's destiny after the body had met its mortal end? Secrets of the Ancient Dead offers a worldwide survey spanning many centuries of some of the most intriguing enigmas posed by death and the afterlife. By citing well-described, specific cases and basing his work on a combination of painstaking archaeology, dogged detective work, in-depth historical knowledge, and high-tech scientific analysis, author Tony Allan pursues his study across cultures, shedding fascinating new light on the beliefs, rituals, hopes, and fears of such peoples as the Germanic and Celtic warriors of northern Europe and the imperial dynasties of ancient China. |
Contents
Conceived created and designed | 6 |
Copyright Duncan Baird Publishers 2004 The Egyptian Way of Death | 14 |
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be The Enigma of Tomb 55 | 26 |
Copyright | |
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afterlife Akhenaten ancient animals apparently archaeologists artefacts barrows body bog bodies bones Bronze Age burial chamber buried cache cave century BCE Chichén Itzá Chinchorro coffins contained copper corpse culture dated back dead death decorated Deir el-Bahri died Dilmun discovered discovery early Easter Island Egypt Egyptian Etruscan evidence excavated feet gods gold grave Greek Guanche head Homo erectus Homo sapiens human sacrifice Ibn Fadlan Iceman Inca inscriptions investigation jade king known laid to rest layers lived Mayan megalithic miles Moche monument mounds mountain mummies mummified mummy-bundles mystery Neanderthals northern Pacal Pacal's Pazyryk pharaoh preserved pyramid region remains royal tombs rulers Sacred Cenote sacrificial victims Schliemann scholars Scythians ship burial Sipán skeleton skull Smenkare southern statues stone suggested survived Tarim Basin temple Teotihuacán tion Tollund Toltec tomb robbers took tradition Troy tumulus Tutankhamun Tutankhamun's Valley walls warrior woman wooden Woolley