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We Dig Skulls

Page 21 of 23

Stories

  1. No. 027

    What Does a Winged Skull Mean? New England Gravestones, Tattoos and Insignia

    A winged skull on a New England gravestone is a death's head, a Puritan memento mori. See dated stones, the carvers, the cherub shift, squadron badges and tattoos.

  2. No. 026

    Gothic Skull Meaning

    Why are skulls gothic? From Gothic novels and mourning jewelry to Bauhaus and the Batcave, what skulls mean in goth fashion, music and decor, and to the people who wear them.

  3. No. 025

    What Is a Memento Mori Coin? Meaning, Stoic Roots and History

    A memento mori coin is a pocket medallion that prompts you to remember death and live well now. Its Stoic roots, Charles I memorial medals and the Bible question.

  4. No. 024

    The Death's-Head Hawkmoth

    The death's-head hawkmoth is three Acherontia moths with a skull on the thorax. Why it squeaks, how it steals honey, whether it is rare or poisonous, and its Silence of the Lambs role.

  5. No. 023

    The Jewett City Vampires

    In 1854 the Ray family of Jewett City burned two dead sons, and in Griswold a skeleton was laid out as a skull and crossbones. The real story, J.B. 55 and tuberculosis.

  6. No. 022

    The Skeleton in the Tree on the New Haven Green

    In 2012 Hurricane Sandy toppled the Lincoln Oak on the New Haven Green and exposed colonial burials. Who they were, what researchers learned and who lies beneath.

  7. No. 021

    Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven

    Grove Street Cemetery, chartered in 1797, holds Eli Whitney, Noah Webster and 14 Yale presidents. Its 1845 Egyptian gate reads The Dead Shall Be Raised. Hours too.

  8. No. 020

    Damien Hirst's Diamond Skull

    For the Love of God (2007) is Damien Hirst's platinum skull with 8,601 diamonds and real teeth. What it cost, the disputed £50 million sale, who owns it and what it means.

  9. No. 019

    Phineas Gage's Skull

    In 1848 an iron rod passed through Phineas Gage's head and he lived. What happened, how his personality changed, what his skull shows and where it is today.