Digging Up the Dead: Consecration, Desecration, and Some Questions about Archeology
Author(s)
Pfluger, Carl
Abstract
Archaeology and religion have always been in conflict in regard to the treatment of the dead. Most people cling to the belief of respect for the dead and letting the dead rest in peace, as can be seen in the practice of funeral rites and the refusal to disturb graves. On the other hand, archaeologists depend on the excavation and examination of corpses to study the history of civilization. Several instances in history, literature and philosophy show this conflict.
