The archaeological study of death is a multifaceted field of study. Rapidly developing scientific and technical methods of examining human remains allow modern scholars to examine past lives through their effects upon the body. Death is, however, a cultural as well as a biological experience. This chapter introduces some of the important themes in the contemporary archaeology of death, including ritual, the body, emotion, and power. The authors of this chapter, the volume’s editors, also consider the complex ethical and political issues surrounding the archaeology of death and explain their decision to include in the volume several chapters considering these. Finally the authors briefly introduce the contents of the volume.