This wide-ranging book examines the compelling subject of death and burial in different cultures and societies. It considers the rites and rituals surrounding death, from the drama of medieval French royal funerals to the burial alive of the Dinka ‘masters of the spear’ in the Sudan. Structures dedicated to the dead include the great tombs of the Berawan of Borneo and the pyramids of Egypt. Far from being a morbid study, The History of Death balances grim facts with intriguing details drawn from many continents and epochs, such as remarkable burial requests.