ANTHROPOLOGY, ARCHEOLOGY, BURIALS, MUMMIES

Anthropology is one subject I love.  I love learning how the human developed culture, how cultures spread, and DNA is enhancing our understanding of human migration, ethnicity, and race.. 

I love knowing this life I lead is so much of the times.  Can I even really imagine the world of my great grandparents?  The ancient Greeks?  The life of a tribe in the Amazon?  Well, could they in their lives imagining air travel or rock and roll?

With anthropology we can try on what it was to live in another time and place, since we cannot yet actually TIME TRAVEL for a look-see.  But besides living there is dying.

Along with Anthropology, there is Archeology (digging evidence up and applying scientific methods and analysis to it), the two often going hand in hand.  One of the things that the Anthropologists and Archeologists look at is BURIALS.

Burials tell us so much about the person, the people.  The posture they are buried in, if they have a shroud, if there are tools or jewelry buried with them, or perhaps their pet cat...  if they were laid into the earth, had stones put on top of them, had a carved wood casket, were embalmed, had ordinary clothing on or were naked, and what direction they - and others in that graveyard - were facing; all of this telling.

One time I asked an Archeology professor, if so many millions of people had died on this earth in the past, why were there not MORE burials, more evidence of their lives.  He said most people were not buried.  They were cremated, or left out for the vultures,  or otherwise exposed.  Also many burials are now deep under the earth or the graves were robbed.  So when a burial is found and explored it can be a wealth of information.

Some of the more exciting burials I've learned about are in museums.  I saw an exhibit at the Getty in Malibu, California that had the painted cases that some ancient Greeks had been buried in, though living in Egypt.  Each had a painting of the person's face, as to be remembered in life. This was a time and place burial, influenced by both Greek and Egyptian notions.

Then there are the burials found in Hungary in which the people inside beautifully painted caskets, many who had died of TB, were found to be naturally preserved mummies.  Scientists of medicine are studying TB through these mummies.

Take a look at the stack of beautiful coffins at this link VAC HUNGARY - NATURAL MUMMIES - NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Reading around these Hungarian mummies, I've learned that they are known people, for whom there are records, and descendants alive.

I don't know about you, but I personally do not think I would want to see any of my dead relatives  dug up so I could see what they look like, but did you know that a son of the Big Bopper,  the 1950's rock and roller who died in a plane crash, did just that, before having him cremated?

Can you tell that it's that time of year... that Halloween and All Souls Day are not so far away?

C 2015  Ancestry Worship Genealogy - All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.

BOOK REVIEW of NANCY GOLDSTONE'S THE FOUR QUEENS

Browsing through the Getty Museum's Book Store, I spotted a book of interest to those of you who like the Medieval period of Europe when the Knights and Fair Damsels were - well - ruling countries.

Most of us can't trace our family history past the 1600's unless there is some provable documents of royal background, for genealogy was probably then more of an obsession of the rich. Knowing who was who was important too when you were arranging marriages.

NANCY GOLDSTONE'S THE FOUR QUEENS "The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe" is about the four daughters of the count of Provence, who made brilliant (arranged) marriages that made them the Queens of France, England, Germany, and Sisicly. Married young - and we mean consummated sex here - twelve and thirteen - these women were history making in their influence in a male dominated and battle dominated world of the 1200's in Europe, well before Countries as we know them were formed.
"Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice...were as educated and world wise as young women could be ... They were married because their fathers (and mothers) saw material advantage and power as an exchange for uniting families... Death claims children and husbands... And so does God, Crusades, and Batttles."

Of great interest in this book is the story of the first coinage of England and how persons using it snipped bits of metal, hoping to slowly collect a fortune...
LINKING HERE TO A French Royal site that shows some of the key players in this work of history, which will also get you THE ANCESTRY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON