The Weird, Wild World of Mortuary Customs
Embalming is just one among the world’s wide variety of funeral practices, and in a sense it’s as ordinary as any other. Then again, it’s pretty strange.
The Weird, Wild World of Mortuary Customs
Ritual
-
-
Why This Paleolithic Burial Site Is So Strange (and So Important)
An ancient interment site in Russia challenges us to rethink how Paleolithic humans in Europe treated their dead and organized their societies.
-
On Fat Tuesday, Break an Egg Over Someone’s Head
A colorful custom that began centuries ago in Asia has spread through various countries and evolved into a celebration of joy and friendship.
-
The Death of a Hungry God
The electrocution of a wild elephant in a village in northeast India illustrates how these formidable beings are experienced as both animal and deity.
-
The Chinese History That Is Written in Bone
The bones of 3,000-year-old sacrificial victims in China are revealing unexpected new twists.
-
Why Do We Wrap Presents?
Wrapping paper is a striptease that hides and reveals, transforming otherwise ordinary objects into gifts.