Dead Men Tell All Tales

Abstract

Human remains and the ways in which they're handled and depicted reflect one of the most universal topics of all time – death. However, while such funerary rites are practiced universally, the rites and customs can vary greatly within individual societies. It was the strong similarities in funerary rites of Viking and Aztec warriors which spurred the interest for this paper. Utilizing the interdisciplinary techniques of archaeology and literary analysis, this paper observes inner and cross-cultural comparisons of Viking and Aztec funerals and their warrior cultures. Funerals are significant not simply on an emotional level but because one of the main ways in which we can interpret past societies is through recovering and analyzing the material traces of the practices associated with the remains of their dead. The very act of a burial provides archaeologists with a wide variety of potential information about the social contexts of these past funerary practices. Burial is thus a deeply significant act imbued with meaning. It represents one of the most formal and carefully prepared deposits that archaeologists encounter. Analyzing the cultural literature provides invaluable insight into the societal thinking and reasoning that can't always be seen through material remains alone. The literary depictions of these funerary events reflect individual and social views on societal boundaries and order, death and the afterlife, and human nature. When this analysis of ancient literature is combined and backed with archaeological evidence, we receive a rare opportunity to understand this sensitive topic.