In The End

So, where do we go from all-day open pyres and dressing up bones? To the modern era of cremation! For the second part of our series, we follow the evolution of modern cremation (mostly in the US) starting in bucolic Pennsylvania, United States. Think it's boring? Well, we kick off with a "dirty old man," a pagan funeral, and a body preserved in arsenic for six months. Buckle up.   Want an even more complete history of cremation in America? Check out Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America by Stephen Prothero.