• Home
• Membership
• Bodies, bones & overflowing churchyards: a history of graveyards

Bodies, bones & overflowing churchyards: a history of graveyards

Roger Luckhurst takes listeners on a tour of some of history's most unusual and intriguing graveyards

• Ellie Cawthorne

Published: October 31, 2025 at 8:00 AM

Save

• Share on facebook
• Share on twitter
• Share on whatsapp
• Email to a friend

Burying the dead has never been a simple matter. Whether due to elaborate grave goods, unique burial rituals, or public health concerns, burial places through history have taken on a variety of unusual and intriguing forms. Roger Luckhurst tells Ellie Cawthorne more – from the ancient tombs of the pharaohs and the sky burials of Tibet, to the overflowing churchyards of 18th-century Paris and preserved bodies of 20th-century communist leaders.

Ad

Roger Luckhurst is the author of Graveyards: A History of Living with the Dead (Thames and Hudson, 2025).

Ad

• Buy it now from Amazon

Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...