My Identity In My Grave Goods

 Although this may seem like a very depressing topic, I think it might be an interesting brain exercise!  What would you put in your grave if you wanted to express your identity to future archaeologists?  If you're anything like me, you have absolutely no clue!  I started off by thinking about things I liked, my hobbies and my passions, which is great way to express identity; however, that is not what I would do.  Maybe it is because I am an anthropology major and have an idea as to how an anthropologist might interpret my grave goods, or maybe it is just because I am strange, but I would choose goods which would (hopefully) express my ideological frameworks.


First off, I would prefer to be cremated, which I think says a lot in and of itself.  A cremation says a lot about the environmental concerns of a society or culture (especially today), as well as retaining a notion of reincarnation.  Now, I am not outright claiming that I completely believe in this, but I really do like the idea of coming back and learning to be a morally better person, which especially corresponds with Buddhist beliefs.  Perhaps the inclusion of a Buddha statuette would further enforce this.

    Image taken from: http://www.be-mag.com/msgboard/showthread.php/41926-New-rule.

Throughout my schooling, I have developed a strong yearning for scientific theories and hypotheses, especially within the realm of physical anthropology. I think that archaeology needs to follow in the foot steps of forensic anthropology, and that this may provide more concrete answers to the questions that sites bring up. How would I represent this in a grave?  Well, for starters, I cannot help but think about Dr. Temperance Brennan from the t.v. show "Bones", and what she would say about science and anthropology.  A DVD of season one of "Bones" will suffice! 

 

Picture taken from: http://bones.otavo.tv/download-bones-episodes 

Lastly, I would include a painting that my sister-in-law and I purchased together.  It is an oil painting done by a local artist of two ships in battle, and it speaks multitudes to me as an image of peace.  I say "peace" because this is how I define beauty, and this painting is truly beautiful.  I think it is very important to never lose the ability to see beauty, because too often we all get a little lost in the hardships of life.

 

This is my own picture of the oil painting mentioned above.

Now, if someone else was to choose my grave goods, it would be my family and my fiance.  I think that they would probably choose items that would represent my relationships with them, as well as those that would express my identity.  Perhaps my engagement ring would be chosen?  Albums that I love oh so dearly (such as an original 1975 "Wish You Were Here" album still in its untouched shrink wrap), and maybe some sheet music for the flute?  Pictures and short poems?  It is hard to tell, but I know that my family would choose items that would probably better represent me than those that I would choose for myself.  I think this is because I would want to express something other than my identity, whereas my family would want to acknowledge the specific individual (me) who has passed so that they could always come back to those items. 

After completing this exercise, I have grown more concerned about the way that archaeologists interpret grave goods.  There are so many ways out there to interpret one item in a particular context, which makes me nervous that we may be interpreting sites, their graves, and grave goods incorrectly.  I am starting to see a theme in my blog: Scientific Methodologies towards Anthropology!  I cannot escape it!