TORONTO NECROPOLIS: AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT SOCIAL STRUCTURE AMONG THE DEAD

SYNOPSIS

It has been a prevailing belief for a long time that death was the great leveler. No matter what one's status was in life, it no longer mattered in death. However, 20th century ideologies surrounding the rather taboo subject of death and burial practices (more eloquently labeled "mortuary behavior") indicate that social levels that exist during life, continues on during death. The early Egyptians provided a testament to this reality, as once-ruling pharaohs demanded the construction of the large, spectacular structural wonders known as the pyramids, not to mention the elaborate, exalted tombs in the Valley of the Kings. This was an early indicator that social boundaries did exist because if every person in Egypt had a pyramid or tomb built for them, then the Great Pyramids probably wouldn't be so great. Nevertheless, it did show that power and wealth can buy extravagance and that this lavishness is not restricted to the land of the living.

The following study attempts to tackle the thorny issue of stratification within the cemetery, as detailed observations from resident graves provided possible insight into the underlying sociocultural ideologies that may predominate in this nonliving society. Toronto Necropolis, an early cemetery located on Downtown Toronto's east side, is the focus of this study. Over a period of two days, a meticulous examination of two discrete sections of the cemetery was completed taking into consideration all the available information present at the site. Factors taken into account included discrepancies in life expectancies, marker size etc. All the gathered information was suitably plotted subsequently. Simple assumptions were made in regards to differences between the examined sites and how these differences could provide an empirical clue into the existence of stratification within cemeteries. And while the only sure things in life are death and taxes, death is surely not the great leveler.