Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. Tomb is a general term for the repository, while grave goods are objects—other than the primary human remains—which have been placed inside. Such objects may include the personal possessions of the deceased, objects specially created for the burial, or miniature versions of things believed to be needed in an afterlife. Knowledge of many non-literate cultures is drawn largely from these sources. Funerary art can serve many cultural functions. It can play a role in burial rites, serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife, and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead, whether as part of kinship-centered practices of ancestor veneration or as a publicly directed dynastic display. It can also function as a reminder of the mortality of humankind, as an expression of cultural values and roles, and help to propitiate the spirits of the dead, maintaining their benevolence and preventing their unwelcome intrusion into the affairs of the living. The deposit of objects with an apparent aesthetic intention may go back to the Neanderthals over 50,000 years ago, and is found in almost all subsequent cultures—the Hindu culture, which has little, is a notable exception. Many of the best-known artistic creations of past cultures—from the Egyptian pyramids and the Tutankhamun treasure to the Terracotta Army surrounding the tomb of the Qin Emperor, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Taj Mahal—are tombs or objects found in and around them.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
451:
A coalition led by Roman General Flavius Aetius and Visigothic king Theodoric I clashed violently with the Hunnic alliance commanded by Attila the Hun at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, the last major military operation of the Western Roman Empire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Catalaunian_Plains
1685:
Monmouth Rebellion: The Duke of Monmouth declared himself King of England at Bridgwater. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott%2C_1st_Duke_of_Monmouth
1837:
Victoria succeeded to the British throne, starting a reign that lasted for more than 63 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom
1863:
American Civil War: West Virginia was admitted to the Union after it seceded from Virginia and the rest of the Confederacy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia
1973:
Snipers fired into a crowd of Peronists near the Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, killing at least 13 people and injuring 365 others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Ezeiza_massacre
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
counterplot (v): To form a plot or plan in opposition to the actions of another http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/counterplot
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Humor — it helps to make the vibe better — it loosens up the vibrations. --Brian Wilson http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson