The status threat is in addition to being killed. In other words, once the society has already exercised the option of killing you they would also attempt to destroy your credibility and dehumanize you by publicly displaying your rotting carcass.
This is obviously supposed to be an additional deterrent above and beyond being killed. It makes a huge amount of sense that this would be because you can’t rationalize it as easily by thinking “hey even if I’m caught and killed at least I’ll be remembered as a pretty cool guy”. It makes no sense in the context of the tender feelings of family and friends of the criminal. Also, I’d be willing to bet the criminals most likely to suffer such a fate are high-status ones whose exploits are most legendary—the revolutionaries and traitors, more than common criminals.
Another obvious reason to think corpse treatment is a status symbol is the amount of care given to the bodies of kings and emperors, and as I’ve mentioned, fallen warriors. It’s like the reason people buy bigger houses. On the surface, yes it provides a little more comfort for their family. But when it comes down to it, they do it primarily to signal their status.
The status threat is in addition to being killed. In other words, once the society has already exercised the option of killing you they would also attempt to destroy your credibility and dehumanize you by publicly displaying your rotting carcass.
This is obviously supposed to be an additional deterrent above and beyond being killed. It makes a huge amount of sense that this would be because you can’t rationalize it as easily by thinking “hey even if I’m caught and killed at least I’ll be remembered as a pretty cool guy”. It makes no sense in the context of the tender feelings of family and friends of the criminal. Also, I’d be willing to bet the criminals most likely to suffer such a fate are high-status ones whose exploits are most legendary—the revolutionaries and traitors, more than common criminals.
Another obvious reason to think corpse treatment is a status symbol is the amount of care given to the bodies of kings and emperors, and as I’ve mentioned, fallen warriors. It’s like the reason people buy bigger houses. On the surface, yes it provides a little more comfort for their family. But when it comes down to it, they do it primarily to signal their status.