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Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.

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Cemetery Snapshot

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Announcements

Graveyards of Chicago:
The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries
By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski. Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!

Green-Wood Cemetery Arcadia Publishing announces the release of Alexandra Mosca's historic account of one of New York's most famous cemeteries. Aracdia Publishing's Images of America series has an extensive catalog of many cemetery publications! Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Green-Wood Cemetery and to browse other available titles!


Men of Mortuaries Calendar
To purchase your 2008 calendar, learn more about the KAMMCARES Foundation, or to be featured in the 2009 calendar, please visit Men of Mortuaries.

Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.

Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman is now
available. Please visit
Studio Indiana
for more information.

West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
RD Glossary

E

ECO-FRIENDLY CASKET
A burial receptacle designed from cardboard, wicker or bamboo, interred in a environmentally-friendly, or green cemetery location without being enclosed in a concrete vault. This type of burial is not only economically friendly, it also allows for rapid decomposition of the non-embalmed remains, and automatic recycling of the container,
EFFIGY
a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture, usually associated with figures of a deceased person depicted in stone (as in the carved likenesses in the tympanum on a Colonial-era Puritan gravestone in the Northestern states), some displayed with wings, and known as winged effigies
ELEGY
a poem written in tribute to the dead
EMBALMER
someone trained in the art and science of embalming, the study of anatomy, thanatology, chemistry and specific embalming theory combined with practical instruction in a mortuary setting before a final examination and receiving a license
EMBALMING
in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and make it suitable for display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus preservation, sanitization and presentation (or restoration) of a dead body to achieve this effect.
EULOGY
a funeral oration given in tribute to a person or people who have recently died
EXCAVATED SPOIL
The material dug up when the grave is excavated. Often piled up close to the grave for backfilling and then returned to the grave to cover it. As soil decompresses when excavated and space is occupied by the burial not all the volume of soil fits back in the hole, so often evidence is found of remaining spoil. In cemeteries this may end up as a thick layer of spoil overlying the original ground surface.

RD Glossary by Run Digital