Death and ritual treatment of the dead are a constant for our species. This module is for anyone interested in approaches to understanding how past societies dealt with death and the dead. It provides an introduction to methods and approaches to understanding past mortuary practices from different periods and parts of the world. In this module, we investigate how archaeologists interpret death and mortuary practices across deep time, focusing on the interplay of monuments, landscapes, human remains, grave goods, and commemoration from both above- and below-ground. We examine the role of community in burying the dead and maintaining intangible heritage (ritual knowledge, oral tradition). Using global case studies and theories of ritual/performance theory, memory and commemoration, landscape/place-making, identity and power, and decolonial critique and selected cultural anthropological and historical evidence, students learn to build culturally inclusive and historically grounded interpretations of mortuary practices. The module is delivered through lectures and seminars and assessed through coursework and presentations.