Why is it some bodies are dug up and put on display while others we leave alone and honor their grave ?

Question

I mean who determines what is to be left alone and respected/and which ones are to be dug up and in my view disrespected.?

Answer 1

excellent question...

in the past, there was a huge push to dig up all these burials and put them into museums.. and that usually happened, mostly because archaeology/anthropology was originally conducted by rich, white men on relatively poorer, non-white societies... (ie egypt and king tut)

in recent years, especially in north america (regarding First Nations burials) there have been questions about morality, and opposition from the ancestors of the bodies being displayed...

NAGPRA - North American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

there are now laws governing what must be done with human remains when the culture still exists... nagpra in particular puts restrictions on what can be dug up, and what must be done with it.. the culture's living descendants are consulted, and the descendants dictate whether or not the burials can be excavated/displayed, for how long, and what must be done with them after...

so... as views change, it is no longer OK to dig up just any old body and display it, without permission... HOWEVER, burials/remains that are from much longer ago (ie thousands of years) are harder to figure out.. for example, australopithecines (some of our earliest human ancestors)... the morality surrounding that is still very unclear...

again, great question


haha, PS, i plan to be cremated to avoid any of that confusion

Answer 2

The practice of excavating centuries old graves would usually be for the sake of history . Not too long ago the corpse of King Tut was autopsied to learn the cause of death ; and then was carefully returned to his grave . In present day a body is exhumed to determine evidence of a crime . Bodies of saints;popes and dignitaries are displayed as a way of honor .The only instance of bodies on display that I am aware of ,where consent was given ( either by themselves or family ), is the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo . The dead even left instructions for personal attire to be changed on them from time to time . Even today they still line the walls of an underground burial ground , that was intended for monks . One example comes to mind-where some would view it as disrespecting a corpse : the fairly recent traveling exhibit "The body " . The dozens of corpses are bodies that were never claimed ; and are now intricately arranged on display to educate on the wonders of the human body .Their contribution to society , while great , also makes you a little sad , knowing they had no choice in the matter .

Answer 3

I've seen the dead on display a few times.
One that I found interesting was a fellow that they pulled out of a bog in England.
It is creepy though and hypocritical that we'll display some bodies and never dream of it with others.
I believe it has a lot to do with the time that's passed since the person died and also if they are of another culture or religion.
think it's especially heinous when we take them away from their established grave sites,like the mummies of Pharaohs but the same goes for unknown guy who was tanned in a bog. (although he was fascinating)

Answer 4

Ancient burials are excavated carefully and respectfully all the time, in every country, to obtain information about our past. In New Jersey, even burials as recent as the 1930s and 40s were recently excavated partially as a rescue operation for the construction of an interstate, but also to obtain information about the people buried there (it was an insane asylum), and to reconnect them with their living relatives, many of whom were unaware the location of their burial. It really depends on living relatives whether the bodies are actually displayed or not; but if there are none, as in the case of Egyptian Pharaohs or Bog people, they are displayed only if they can illustrate or teach something, as in a museum.

Answer 5

If you are talking about a body lying in state. These bodies are not dug up. They have never been burried and it is similar to a funeral where the friends and family pass the body to pay their repsects.

Generally the idea of lying in state is reserved for fallen leaders such as John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, etc. However others such as rock stars or other famous people will lay in state. I believe that Elvis lay in state at Graceland for a period of time before he was buried.

Answer 6

Who is digging up bodies? That is wrong! The only way bodies can be put on display for (medical reasons only), is if they have donated their bodies to science. Even then they aren't dug up from their graves.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Who's dead bodies are on display? I'm not familiar with that but I would think it's the families of the people that died that make that kind of decision...creepy.

Answer 9

I think they need bodies from specific eras, to study scientifically to be able to make accurate judgements about how our civilization came to be. I think it's important to know where we came from, to understand where we are going.

If you are truly that upset about the "displaying of bodies" then I suggest that you write to the American Geological Anthropology Society, and ask this question of them.

Answer 10

You mean like the Egyptian mummies...dunno.