Full of ornate stonework, cemeteries are beautiful places both to mourn the deceased and celebrate the lives of those who have passed. Yet there is more to these places than carvings of skulls, crosses and crossbones. A snapped rose branch, for instance, indicates a life ended too soon. Wheat, meanwhile, signifies a life fully lived, then taken by

Source: 99percentinvisible.org

Cemeteries are great places for students to analyze the cultural landscape, learn about the heritage of the local ethnic and religious groups, and think about spatial relationships in on a smaller scale.  This is a great guide to some of the intentional symbolism embedded in cemeteries–field work for students can start in the local cemetery. 

  

Tags: cemetery, landscape, place.