Bury the Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons, & Rituals [Hardcover]

Christopher Sloan (Author), Dr. Bruno Frohlich (Foreword)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Humans, and especially kids, have always been intrigued by death and the rituals that surround it in various cultures. Christopher Sloan now feeds this fascination with the latest scientific information and shows young readers what archeologists learn from studying the remains and graves of long-dead humans. The book reveals how Neandertals, ancient Egyptians, Maya, Sythians, and others buried their dead, then explains what those rituals meant to the living. A final chapter looks at modern burials. Close-up photographs examine tombs, mummies, skeletons, and other archeological finds, while dramatic paintings re-create the times in which these people lived.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In some parts of Indonesia, people bury their babies in living tree trunks. In the Amazon rain forest, the Yanomami dead are burned, crushed, and then eaten. Today in Ghana, people bury their dead in coffins shaped like cars, fish, and other animals. People around the world view death in many different ways, and National Geographic editor Christopher Sloan's Bury the Dead examines what ancient burial sites in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas reveal about varying cultural perspectives on death and life after death. Sections such as Why People Bury Their Dead, The First Burials, Egypt Prepares for the Afterlife, Golden Tombs of the Amazons, and Ghost Soldiers of the Emperor discuss ancient burial secrets that cast new light on modern burial practices. Packed with vivid color photographs, timelines, artful illustrations, helpful maps, a bibliography, and an index, this riveting, clearly presented book is sure to fascinate budding archaeologists, anthropologists, and cultural historians. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-An exceptionally handsome book on a macabre topic. The lucid text discusses the why of funeral rites and internment and then presents a vista of burials, beginning with the shadowy reaches of far prehistory through the colorful tombs of ancient Egypt, the golden graves of the Scytho-Siberians, the horde of clay warriors surrounding the tomb of the first Qin emperor, and the caparisoned grave of the Moche Lord of Sip ne Peru. The author closes with an investigation into more modern burial practices and speculates on what they may reflect about our relatively recent cultures, with a note on offending ethnic groups when ancient burial sites are disturbed for research. Formal in tone, the book includes location maps; a time line; colorful diagrams; realistic artwork; and an array of clear, color photos (some may find that the close-ups of mummies, fleshless skulls, and other mortal remains make them queasy). For those who have been fascinated with such dynamic titles as James M. Deem's Bodies from the Bog (Houghton, 1998), Donna M. Jackson's The Bone Detectives (Little, Brown, 1996), and Johan Reinhard's Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden (National Geographic, 1998), this title will prove irresistible.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792271920
• ISBN-13: 978-0792271925
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,111,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Bury the Dead!!, December 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bury the Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons, & Rituals (Hardcover)

Kids will love this account on how people bury and mummify the dead, gore and strange details seem to intrigue them. Great photographs too. Turn your students into archeology nuts.