From Etruria to Lisbon. Archaeological influences and memory in three contemporary cemeteries (Lisbon, Portugal)

Citation

Casimiro T (2025) From Etruria to Lisbon. Archaeological influences and memory in three contemporary cemeteries (Lisbon, Portugal). In: Spinelli R & Lacy RS (eds.) Death, Commemoration, and Cultural Meaning: Past and Present. Oxford: berghan. https://doi.org/10.3167/9781836952909

Abstract
In 1835, a new law was passed in Portugal: from that year onwards, all burials had to take place inside public cemeteries. Although cemeteries already existed, the new law made these spaces mandatory, transforming the landscape, and reflecting social, artistic, aesthetic, and cultural values, from then to the present day. Archaeological and historical influences can be observed in many of the tombs within these spaces, with Ancient, Classical, and Medieval architecture, or statues, to mention a few. Going beyond these material comparisons, we can also identify, in such places, conceptual connections to Neolithic, Etruscan, and Medieval burial spaces based on their location, their landscape, and our emotional experiences. Using information retrieved from three different cemeteries in Lisbon - Ajuda (1833), Prazeres (1833), and Alto de São João (1835) - we will analyze archaeological and historical influences on the way death was perceived and monumentalized over the period 1833-2022, trying to answer questions such as: Do archaeological and historical influences change during the period of these cemeteries’ use? How did these influences shape cemeterial landscapes? Can we recognize differences in such influences depending on the social class of the people buried there?

Keywords
cemeteries; contemporaneity; archaeology; history; memory