Sherene Baugher

I am much more a reader of social history than that of affairs of state…and count me also as one of those people who love wandering old cemeteries and historical sites. This book touches both interests. After reading James Deetz’s In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life, I went in search for more of the same, and came across this book (which, if I remember correctly, was mentioned in the updated edition of Deetz’s book).The authors of this book, Baugher, who is an archaeologist, and Viet, an anthropologist, write as one.

"Early American grave markers are some of the most evocative and informative artifacts available to historical archaeologists." They are also "important repositories of cultural information," the authors state early in the book, and the content that follows substantiates this. Just a few of the many topics covered over the course of the book’s mere two hundred and nine pages include:

*How grave markers and cemeteries reflect changing attitudes towards death and dying.
*The meaning of the iconography and art (in early America it was one of the few forms of publicly available art).
*How the information on grave markers can tell us about life spans, infant mortality, gender, occupations, social status….
*The legal, logistical and ethical issues of this study.
*Attention is given to the burial and grave sites of less studied groups (i.e.Native Americans, African Americans, various immigrant groups).
*The diversities within religions and regions.
*The science of “below ground” archaeology.
*Materialism and class distinctions.
…and so much more.

Personally, It’s difficult to single out just one or two interesting bits, because I found it ALL fascinating, but.... as one example: I was intrigued with the tale of what happened when the scientists were called out by one city, who, while constructing a highway unearthed a cemetery previously unknown to them.

Each chapter ends with a summarized "conclusion", which I found very helpful. This is a thorough, readable, and succinct—yet not too dense—overview of the archaeology of early American cemeteries.I deliberately took my time reading this book, reading between other books which demanded less of me. I had to re-read some to pull that off, but it was well worth it.… (altro)