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Cremation summer school educates future anthropologist and archaeologist

There are not many summer schools in Europe, or even in the world, that focus on cremation. However, just such a summer school has been held at Masaryk University for the second time. And as a last year, the teachers included a cremation as an experiment in the programme.

Kévin Salesse from the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, came up with the idea of creating a specialised summer school in the anthropology of cremation. While writing his application for MASH Junior award, which he successfully secured two years ago. Kévin Salesse is engaged in biological anthropology and isotope bioarchaeology and, among other things, specialising in cremation studies. Like many experts in his field, he also had to acquire much of his knowledge independently through internships, practical experiments, post-doc positions and international conferences.

It was at this time that he realised that there was a need to train the next generation of researchers and academics in this field, as to the best of his knowledge there was no comprehensive programme dedicated to the anthropology of cremation in Europe, and probably even in the world. Therefore, in cooperation with Masaryk University’s Centre for International Cooperation and Elżbieta Jaskulska from the University of Warsaw, he came up with the idea of creating a unique summer school he laid in 2023 the foundations for an intensive course to fill the gap. Open to all interested parties, the programme aims to offer a unique educational experience combining in-depth theoretical knowledge with practical activities.

“We created an intensive two-week course that includes teaching in the classroom and outside, while in the afternoon students have enough free time for social activities to fully enjoy their summer in Brno. In addition to me and Elżbieta, other experts from MU, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the University of Chester (United Kingdom), Staffordshire University (United Kingdom), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), Ghent University (Belgium), Uppsala University (Sweden) and the University of Coimbra (Portugal) participated in the teaching, giving students the opportunity to meet European experts in the field. Also of great importance for bringing everyone together was the support of the General Representative of Flanders in Central Europe ofthe Belgian Embassy,” explains Kévin Salesse.

Visit to a crematorium and work in the human osteology laboratory

The theoretical lessons alternated with off the wall visits, especially the visit offered Lea Olšáková, director, of the Brno crematorium within the city’s Central Cemetery and the tour of the archaeological collections of the Moravian Museum offered by Klára Šabatová (Department of Archaeology and Museology, Masaryk University), and Zdeněk Tvrdý (Anthropos Institute, Moravian Museum).

In the first week, the theoretical part awaited them, where they learned a lot about modern cremation practices, current trends in funerals, the archaeological and forensic sciences, and funeral rituals. Then followed a practical week, during which they went on excursions to the Moravian Museum and the Brno Crematorium.

“The students rated the visit to the crematorium as one of the highlights of the entire summer school. We had the opportunity to speak with the crematorium’s director and other employees, who answered various questions, thanks to which we gained a better idea of the complexities of modern Czech funerals, the protocols for respectful treatment of the deceased and the expertise of the staff. We visited the public and technical rooms, where access is strictly regulated. We were able to witness from a distance as the coffin were placed into the cremation furnace. The entire visit was conducted in accordance with ethical principles, and we did not see any deceased individuals. Even so, it was a very emotional and powerful journey for the participants,” says Kévin Salesse.

The theme of death in both modern and historical contexts was interwoven throughout the summer school, and that is why the teachers and students regularly had debriefing sessions where they could share and discuss their feelings to make sure that they were able to process the more challenging moments without major problems.

In the practical part, the students also tried out a number of other skills. For example, they learned to engage with human skeletal remains from a variety of contexts, including ancient inhumations,  and cremations. They honed their micro-excavation skills and independently created 3D records of protohistoric urns. Through human osteology lab exercises, they learned to identify, analyse and report on skeletal remains. And among other things, they were also trained in the preparation of samples for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, using a spectrometer to which the Department of Anthropology has access.

Cremation as an experience

To make the teaching as practical as possible, the teachers also prepared a series of open-air cremations for the students as an experiment, where volunteer firefighters were also present throughout as a safety precaution. For the whole day, the class went out into the field and were tasked with building three pyres in the open field. The students placed a pig's feet on the pyres, which were then lit and monitored for four hours. 

The next day, some students together with the teacher returned to the place of the experiment and took several samples from all the burned remains. They then analysed them in the laboratory.

“I am really glad that I took part in a course focused on cremation - we don't usually get to learn about such a topic at school. The cremation experiment was a really interesting part of the lesson. First of all, our team had to agree how we would construct the funeral pyre. And then we just watched how the temperature increased, how the wood changed colour and how the bones were partially or completely calcined into cremation fragments. Thus, we saw in practice the theory we had learned at the summer school. Overall, it was a very valuable experience and it was very stimulating for me to talk about an often taboo topic with my peers. I also realised how similar, and yet at the same time different, is our perception of such a universal concept as death,” says Alison Gould, a chemistry student at the University of Southampton, when reviewing the summer school.

In addition to the academic part, she also praised the cultural and social programme that Masaryk University prepared for the students, including, for example, a trip to Vienna, a demonstration of folk dances and wine tasting. Even though she was in the Czech Republic for only two weeks, she is very happy that in that short time she was able to meet students from all over the world and get to know Brno and Czech culture.

“The students at this year's summer school were highly motivated and it was a pleasure to work with them. The atmosphere in the classroom and during the outdoor activities was fantastic and we received very positive feedback. I was particularly impressed by the group project submitted at the end of the programme, which clearly showed that the students had engaged in a meaningful cross-cultural dialogue on the topic of cremation. I believe that this experience will deeply affect them and that they will long remember it. I hope that our paths will cross again in a few years’ time and that this summer school will help them find their place in the field,” says Kevin Salesse.

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