My mother has always said that age is just a number. Granted she is often referring to my odd magnetism to older men but lectures on identity and this saying got me thinking about age and its presence on grave monuments.
What can a deceased person's age tell us?
Obviously archaeologists like dates on monuments because it can help with data interpretation; but people don't put dates on monuments with the idea being that their dearly departed may one day be part of a study.
What are the cultural reasons behind inscribing the date of birth and death?
Knowing the age of an individual at their time of death can certainly evoke emotions and opinions. Perhaps creating emotion that mimics the family's response to the death is the motive when designing the headstone. A person that died at the age of 12 might cause you to feel pity and sadness for not only the individual but for the family too. This young human had only lived a short part of their life - they were taken too soon. In comparison, when viewing a monument dedicated to a 98 year old person, we might feel a sense of admiration that this individual lived so long - they must have experienced a full life, done a lot of things.
But is age at time of death (or rather years lived) an important part of
someone's identity? Does age alone create a memory worth leaving behind?
Do you think it is more important to be remembered for what you accomplished in your lifetime or how old you were when you bit the bullet?
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