Church Burials at Risk? Research Ethics and Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Investigating Cultural Aspects of Historic Mortuary Archaeology: Perspectives from Europe and North America", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Hundreds of burials have been recorded below the Finnish church floors. Because of long winters and suitable conditions many of them are well-preserved including partially mummified human remains but also coffins, funerary fabrics, and plant remains related to coffin furnishing. This presentation will overview research ethics and preservation conditions as well as restoration possibilities of the cultural heritage in the juxtapose of research traditions and laws. We consider the burials as entities in which the human remains, fabrics and plant remains should be treated within the same ethical framework and respect. The collaboration with the church officials will be also considered as the parishes function quite independently regarding the burials below floors; the coffins are sometimes considered as church property. In addition to regulations and research traditions, the burials are subject to emotional and religious concerns that further add complexity to the matter.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Investigating Cultural Aspects of Historic Mortuary Archaeology: Perspectives from Europe and North America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow