About Me

I'm a PhD student researching the role of the archaeological dead in contemporary British society. Think of this as a scrapbook of all the interesting links, snippets of information and random bits and bobs I come across pertaining to death, dying and the dead. Enjoy?!

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    Richard III: Greatest archaeological discovery of all? It has attracted global attention with its blend of detective work and dark historical deeds but where does the discovery of Richard III’s grave rate among England’s greatest archaeological finds? From one perspective, the Greyfriars skeleton is a collection of old bones - surely treasure should be more eye-catching? But the remains have attracted the sort of attention which puts wallet-busting finds like the Staffordshire Hoard and Crosby Garrett in the shade. Why? The impact is undeniable, from queues to see a rapidly organised exhibition in Leicester to nearly 20,000 signing an e-petition to get the bones buried in York. Mike Heyworth, director of the Council for British Archaeology, said: “In the public consciousness it is almost always the finds that are the most financially valuable which make the impression. “You hear about a metal detectorist who has been paid £3m or so for reporting finding something gold and glittery, but what does that tell us about the human story? Read more here.

    Richard III: Greatest archaeological discovery of all?

    It has attracted global attention with its blend of detective work and dark historical deeds but where does the discovery of Richard III’s grave rate among England’s greatest archaeological finds?

    From one perspective, the Greyfriars skeleton is a collection of old bones - surely treasure should be more eye-catching?

    But the remains have attracted the sort of attention which puts wallet-busting finds like the Staffordshire Hoard and Crosby Garrett in the shade. Why?

    The impact is undeniable, from queues to see a rapidly organised exhibition in Leicester to nearly 20,000 signing an e-petition to get the bones buried in York.

    Mike Heyworth, director of the Council for British Archaeology, said: “In the public consciousness it is almost always the finds that are the most financially valuable which make the impression.

    “You hear about a metal detectorist who has been paid £3m or so for reporting finding something gold and glittery, but what does that tell us about the human story?

    Read more here.

    Films and corpses go hand in hand and they pop up in the most surprising places …

    Cinema is littered with corpses. The pesky things pose endless
    disposal problems, refuse to stay buried, and in worst-case scenarios,
    re-animate and lust after brains. But sometimes a dead body takes
    centre stage and becomes a character in its own right, a talisman that
    changes the living, for better or worse. There’s something volatile
    and magical about a corpse - inert but accusatory, charged with guilt,
    loss and fascination with our own mortality. Here are five of the
    best.

    Words cannot describe how pleased I am to see The Goonies in this list! 

    Traditional physical autopsies -- not high-tech 'virtopsies' -- still 'gold standard'

    oldowan:

    TV crime shows like Bones and CSI are quick to explain each death by showing highly detailed scans and video images of victims’ insides. Traditional autopsies, if shown at all, are at best in supporting roles to the high-tech equipment, and usually gloss over the sometimes physically grueling tasks of sawing through skin and bone.

    But according to two  and body imaging experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the notion that “virtopsy” could replace traditional autopsy— made popular by such TV dramas — is simply not ready for scientifically vigorous prime time. The latest virtual  — including full-body computed tomography (CT) scans,  (MRI), ultrasound, X-ray and  — are helpful, they say, but cannot yet replace a direct physical inspection of the body’s main organs.

    (Source: theolduvaigorge)

    Can Grave Secrets Be Revealed via Analysis of Bare Bones? How Kathy Reichs's Fiction Novels Feed the Public Perception of Forensic Anthropology

    forensicanth:

    Article by Heather Walsh-Haney in American Anthropologist (subscription required).

    Does the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation influence public perception? Vote here.

    (Source: )

    Zombie conference at the University of Winchester

    Hundreds of sci-fi fans and academics have descended on the University of Winchester for what is believed to be the first UK zombie conference.

    The Zombosium is looking at current research into zombie culture and how it has spread across all types of media.

    Organiser Dr Marcus Leaning, said: “Our Zombosium has attracted more than 17 speakers from across the world.”

    The Hampshire university will be the first in the UK to launch a zombie studies module.

    Dr Leaning said: “Zombies now feature widely in film, television, new and social media, gaming, comics and literary texts.”

    The keynote speaker at the zombosium is Dr Ian Conrich, editor of the Journal of British Cinema and Television and a leading authority on contemporary horror cinema.

    Topics for the conference include zombie flesh eaters, zombies B movies, zombies and genocide, shopping malls and zombie geography and zombie apocalypse survivor online communities.

    The one-day conference will end with a screening of the zombie film Dawn Of The Dead.

    Via the BBC News website