In Relics of the Dead we discover the fascinating ways that the deceased are remembered in countries all over the globe. From the traditional to the bazaar these rituals are unique but highly respectful.
Adela Ucar and Ian Wright start by visiting underground catacombs in Paris and Palermo, Sicily. Next we see how the world’s great tombs celebrate the lives of religious figures, political leaders, and celebrity icons. Ian visits Moscow’s Red Square and the tomb of Russia’s most loved leader, Lenin, before travelling to Graceland in Memphis USA, to pay tribute to the iconic Elvis Presley.
Mummification is another common post mortem practice as Jonathan Atherton witnesses in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, where corpses are smoked, and in Mexico where Ian visits the museum of mummies.
Finally Megan McCormick journeys to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, an archaeological treasure trove of ancient tombs, before we end our travels in China’s Xi’an Shannxi province, at the ultimate Relic of the dead – the tomb of the terracotta warriors.
Places Mentioned - China, Egypt, France, Italy, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, USA
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Articles
The Top 9 Things To See & Do In Xi’an
Once the biggest, and arguably greatest, city in the world, in its prime Xi’an was six times bigger than Ancient Rome and 40 times bigger than medieval...
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The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings was the burial site of the Egyptian rulers during the period of the New Kingdom (1570-1070 BC). More than 60 tombs have already been...
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Army of Ghosts: Terracotta Warriors
Around the village of Xi'an, folktales had been told for centuries about scary ghosts that lived underground in this area. So imagine the fright of two...
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