The Evolution of the death’s head By Zeki Hirsch

The evolution of the death’s head

Trinity Churchyard manhattan, ny 1681

Old hill burying ground concord, ma 1712

Trinity churchyard Manhattan, ny 1721

Old hill burying ground concord, ma 1735

Trinity churchyard Manhattan, ny 1764

Old hill burying ground concord, ma 1766

Trinity Churchyard manhattan, ny 1770

Trinity churchyard manhattan, ny 1772

Old hill burying ground concord, ma 1791

Trinity churchyard manhattan, ny 1794

St. paul’s chapel manhattan, ny 1795

St. paul’s chapel manhattan, ny 1802

Old hill burying ground concord, ma 1807

Afterword

The evolution of the death’s head Up and down the coast of New England, cemeteries are dotted across the land. Older burial grounds, newer ones, and especially churchyards. In these strange, beautiful necropolises lie the remains of those before us. The tombstones are elegantly carved, and represent not only the dead, but the spirit of the times. Modern day visitors don’t exactly pay much attention to the centuries-old symbolism in cemeteries at all. But symbolism abounds. The “Death’s Head” is very hard to avoid. These unique motifs were first seen in the late 17th century. They are exactly what they sound like: A skull or a skull with wings. Over the decades, this beauty has changed; originally it symbolized the macabre feelings associated with death. But evolved in the mid-1700s into a cherub -- a more hopeful symbol of the Christian afterlife. By the turn of the 19th century a new symbol emerged: the urn and willow. Historians don’t agree on what the urn and willow symbolize. Some say they are inspired by ancient Greek symbols of mortality. Others say they represent the people who mourn the dead, not the dead, themselves. I hope you learned about the changing face of tombstones.