The Sea Their Graves: An Archaeology of Death and Remembrance in Maritime Culture

Like other groups with dangerous occupations, mariners have developed a close-knit culture bound by loss and memory. Death regularly disrupts the fabric of this culture and necessitates actions designed to mend its social structure. From the ritual of burying a body at sea to the creation of memorials to honor the missing, these events tell us a great deal about how sailors see their world. Based on a study of more than 2,100 gravestones and monuments in North America and the United Kingdom erected between the seventeenth and late twentieth centuries, David Stewart expands the use of nautical archaeology into terrestrial environments. He focuses on those who make their living at sea--one of the world's oldest and most dangerous occupations--to examine their distinct folkloric traditions, beliefs, and customs regarding death, loss, and remembrance. A volume in the series New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology, edited by James C. Bradford and Gene Allen Smith

Author: David J. Stewart
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 05/14/2019
Pages: 278
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d
ISBN13: 9780813064208
ISBN10: 0813064201
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Death & Dying
- Social Science | Customs & Traditions
- History | Maritime History & Piracy

About the Author
David J. Stewart, assistant professor of nautical archaeology at East Carolina University, is a contributor to Burial at Sea.