The Corpse in the Middle Ages: Embalming, Cremating, and the Cultural Construction of the Dead Body

Browse Authors Contact & Info News BOOK SERIES Harvey Miller Studies in the History of Culture About this series The Corpse in the Middle Ages: Embalming, Cremating, and the Cultural Construction of the Dead Body Romedio Schmitz-Esser Pages: vi + 780 p. Size:220 x 280 mm Language(s):English, Latin Publication Year:2021 Buy print version € 180,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE ISBN: 978-1-909400-87-0 Hardback Available SUBJECT(S) Cultural & intellectual history (c. 500-1500) Historical Sociology & Anthropology Cultural Studies Medieval Archaeology History of Medicine Religious history (c. 500-1500) REVIEW(S) "A study of the dead body in the context of cultural studies and the history of mentality, this expansive volume covers the cultural construction, burial, and destruction of the corpse in medieval European society." (L. C. Attreed, in Choice, 59/6, 2022) “A good scholarly contribution, after all, raises additional questions and points the way to further research. The Corpse in the Middle Ages will undoubtedly prompt further exchange on, and discussion of, many related topics.” (Charlotte A. Stanford, in The Medieval Review, 14/05/2022) SUMMARY To what extent are the dead truly dead? In medieval society, corpses were assigned special functions and meanings in several different ways. They were still present in the daily life of the family of the deceased, and could even play active roles in the life of the community. Taking the materiality of death as a point of departure, this book comprehensively examines the conservation, burial and destruction of the corpse in its specific historical context. A complex and ambivalent treatment of the dead body emerges, one which necessarily confronts established modern perspectives on death. New scientific methods have enabled archaeologists to understand the remains of the dead as valuable source material. This book contextualizes the resulting insights for the first time in an interdisciplinary framework, considering their place in the broader picture drawn by the written sources of this period, ranging from canon law and hagiography to medieval literature and historiography. It soon becomes obvious that the dead body is more than a physical object, since its existence only becomes relevant in the cultural setting it is perceived in. In analogy to the findings for the living body in gender studies, the corpse too, can best be understood as constructed. Ultimately, the dead body is shaped by society, i.e. the living. This book examines the mechanisms by which this cultural construction of the body took place in medieval Europe. The result is a fascinating story that leads deep into medieval theories and social practices, into the discourses of the time and the daily life experiences during this epoch. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE TRANSLATION FOREWORD INTRODUCTION The Constructed Corpse: Methodology, Structure, and Goals Burial between Norm and Practice St Augustine and the “Constructed” Sanctity The Staged Corpse No Fear of the Dead Body Parts and the Gaze Upon the Dead Body A Topic between Popular Hype and Historical Lack of Interest: The State of Research CHAPTER I: THE BURIED CORPSE The Corpse and the Resurrection The Soul, the Corpse, and the Beyond The Eternal and the Eternally Disturbed Grave Drowning and the Element of Baptism Cremating the Dead: Between Concern and Banning The Proper Burial in the Middle Ages The Quest for the Phantom: The “Standard” Burial in the Christian Middle Ages Symbolism of Light and the Position of the Dead in the Grave Solitary Burial and Group Affiliation of the Corpse The Corpse is Coming to the Living: The Cult of the Martyrs and the Burial with Saints The Development of the Church Graveyard Interment in the Time of Crisis War Dead and Their Graves Death as a Result of Epidemics, the Black Death, and Burial The Corpse Portrayed Summary.