Burying the Dead

Book excerpt: An archeological study of burial grounds across England, shedding light on pagan executions, the Black Death, and much more. In the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, archeologists unearthed twelve skeletons—ten without heads. Later examination revealed the place to be a cemetery for ancient Anglo-Saxons who had been sentenced to death. In the Middle Ages, those who committed suicide were subjected to desecration, a practice that went largely unrecorded. While plague pits, mass graves for victims of the Black Death, have only recently started betraying their secrets. Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important record of cultural history and social change. Burying the Dead explores how these sites reveal the attitudes, practices, and beliefs of the people who made them.