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Digital
History>eXplorations>The
Puritans>Gravestones as History
Activity
1: Gravestones
Gravestones
and tombstone inscriptions provide valuable clues to fundamental
shifts in beliefs.
Many
of humanity's earliest surviving artifacts are monuments to death.
At least 500,000 years ago, human beings had already developed
burial rituals. Many of the world's greatest monuments, including
the pyramids in Egypt or the gigantic earthen mounds erected by
Native Americans, are tombs for the dead.
Resources:
Farber
Gravestone Collection
http://www.davidrumsey.com/farber/
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The
Collection contains over
13,500 images documenting the sculpture on more than 9,000
gravestones,
most of which were made prior to 1800, in the Northeastern
part of the United States.
Exploration
1: Gravestone Symbols
Identify
the significance of the following gravestone symbols:
- Angel
or Cherub
- Death's
Head
- Dove
- Lamb
- Medusa
- Rose
- Urn
- Willow
EXploration
2: Changes in Values and Beliefs
Use
gravestone symbols and inscriptions to trace changes in values
and beliefs.
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