Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Sepulchral culture
(2,260 words)

1. Definition

Sepulchral culture (from Latin sepulcrum, “tomb”; sepulcralis, “pertaining to a tomb”) includes all phenomena related to the way human beings deal with the dead. It is one of the earliest observable forms of human behavior and is viewed by anthropologists as a defining feature of human societies. Within it we must distinguish between dealing with the physical corpse and the formalized remembrance of the deceased (Commemoration o…

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Karsten, Arne, “Sepulchral culture”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 29 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_027438>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210601



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