Excavating Identity: Burial Context and Fetal Identity in Post-Medieval Poland (original) (raw)

The Fetus: Biology, Culture, and Society - Berghahn Books, 2017

Abstract

How the dead are buried in an archaeological context provides a wealth of cultural information, but also speaks to the concept of individuality and personhood in the past. While fetal remains have until recently been largely omitted from archaeological analysis due to poor preservation and misidentification, the study of mortuary customs associated with fetal remains provides a unique opportunity to explore the concept of fetal identity. When the living bury the dead, they ascribe a sense of personhood and who that individual was within their community; therefore, it is assumed that if fetal or stillborn individuals were given a similar status to infants and young children their burial context should be similar. The Drawsko 1 rural cemetery site is located in northwestern Poland and dates between the 17th and 18th centuries. For this study, 47 subadult individuals (6 months in utero – 4 years) were used to explore various aspects of the burial context, specifically the use of a coffin, the inclusion of grave goods, and geographic location within the cemetery. Results demonstrate that within the three age classifications (perinate, post-neonatal, and child), there were no statistically significant differences (Fisher’s exact, p<0.05) in regards to the use of a coffin, the inclusion of grave goods, or location within the cemetery. This homogeneity in burial context suggests that fetal individuals were ascribed a similar type of personhood or identity as older children, like associated with the concept of “potentiality” and what that individual may have contributed to their community had they lived.

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