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.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funerary_art>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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