Burning the dead: Human bones subjected to fire in southwestern Swedish megalithic graves (original) (raw)
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Old bones or early graves? Megalithic burial sequences in southern Sweden based on 14C datings
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2020
Megalithic tombs have since long been a focus of debate within the archaeological research field, not least regarding their emergence, use life and the various bursts of building activity in different regions and periods. The aim of this study is to investigate the temporal span of the main burial sequences in the conventional megalithic grave types of southern Sweden, with special focus on the less studied gallery graves. In Scandinavia, megalithic tombs are divided into three main types: dolmens, passage graves and gallery graves. Here, this prevailing typological seriation was tested. The study was based on 374 14C dates from unique individuals selected from 66 tombs. The form, layout and dating of the different types of tombs were studied in order to examine regional and chronological variation in the use of megaliths. By comparing sum plots, KDE models, individual 14C dates and typology of artefacts, the existing chronologies were evaluated. The 14C dates from dolmens and passa...
PLOS ONE
Changes in funerary practices are key to the understanding of social transformations of past societies. Over the course of the Nordic Bronze Age, funerary practices changed from inhumation to cremation. The aim of this study is to shed light on this fundamental change through a cross-examination of archaeometric provenance data and archaeological discussions of the context and layouts of early cremation graves. To this end, we conducted 19 new provenance analyses of strontium isotopes from Early Nordic Bronze age contexts in Thisted County and Zealand and Late Bronze Age contexts from Thisted County and Vesthimmerland (Denmark). These data are subsequently compared with data from other extant relevant studies, including those from Late Bronze Age Fraugde on the Danish island of Fyn. Overall, the variations within our provenience data suggest that the integration and establishment of cremation may not have had a one-to-one relationship with in-migration to Nordic Bronze Age Denmark. ...
2024
This paper presents osteological analyses and radiocarbon dates from human remains found in early churchyards on the Baltic island of Gotland. Graves from the first phases of burial have been discovered beside churches on Gotland on many occasions since the late nine-teenth century, usually during preparations for new interments. Previous work has focused on the artefacts found with many of them, which suggest that the early churchyard dead were buried in costume closely resembling that worn in the last phases of the traditional grave fields. These finds have been a key source for research into the chronology and process of the Christianization of Gotland during the late Viking Age and early medieval period. Neglected, however, are the human remains which were sometimes recovered alongside the artefacts, but until now escaped research attention. Here we present analyses of the remains of 26 individuals recovered from Garda churchyard, with smaller numbers from Stånga, Havdhem and Fardhem. The results contribute osteological characterization of the early adopters of churchyard burial, along with new absolute dates for the establishment and use of the new Christian burial sites, and demonstrate that the practice of furnished burial was maintained in churchyards for an extended period.
A cross-check of radiocarbon dates from Stone Age sites i Northern Sweden
Fornvännen, 2015
Ekholm, T., 2015. A cross-check of radiocarbon dates from Stone Age sites in Northern Sweden. Fornvännen 110. Stockholm. This study compares the results from radiocarbon measurements performed on charcoal and burnt bone from the same contexts in order to assess the reliability of the two materials for dating. The study deals with seven Mesolithic sites in Norrland and Dalecarlia, an area where datable organic material is difficult to find. The bone samples have been chosen for the study and the charcoal samples are mainly from previous work. The study shows that both materials are suitable for dating as long as they are sampled correctly and with knowledge of the errors that can occur.
Interacting Barbarians. Contacts, Exchange and Migrations in the First Millennium AD. Neue Studien zur Sachsenforschung Band 9 s. 289-296. Warszawa. , 2019
According to the Norwegian anthropologist Terje Oestigaard, “Cremation is not one, but many funeral practices” (Oestigaard 2013, 497). This seems to hold particularly true in the case of cremation practices in prehistoric Scandinavia. The huge amount of data from cremation graves, in museums and publications, illustrates a variety of practices connected to the cremation process itself, as well as procedures that followed the sorting of the pyre, including the construction of the grave. Probing deeper into the material, it becomes evident that cremation has several dimensions: technological, physical, social, religious, emotional, and probably even more. The central question is, is it possible to separate such individual dimensions in the archaeological record? There are five primary questions to address when working with prehistoric cremations: What was the outcome of a cremation process? Where did the cremation take place? How did prehistoric man carry out the cremation process? Who was in charge of the cremation? Why did prehistoric man cremate human bodies? This series of questions reveals that cremation is a complex matter, and, as it is not possible to deal with all of these aspects in this paper, I shall focus on the how.
Plos ONE, 2018
This study investigates possible variation in post-mortem histories during the Neolithic period in southwestern Sweden based on microscopic studies of human bone. Numerous megalithic graves were built in this region and good preservation conditions have left a rich skeletal record. After more than a hundred years of research, it is still a controversy whether or not these skeletal assemblages were the result of primary burials, or ossuaries where skeletonized remains were deposited. In this study we apply histological analysis to obtain insights into post-mortem histories and taphonomic processes affecting the human remains, potentially including funerary rituals. This type of analysis records the condition and traces of degradation found in skeletal material at a microscopic level. Human skeletal material from four different megalithic tombs in the Falbygden area has been sampled and analysed by thin-section light microscopy, and by scanning electron microscopy. The results of the study provide evidence of variation and changes in burial conditions for skeletal remains from the different graves, also for remains from the same grave. Extent of bioerosion varied, from extensive to moderate/arrested, to none. Bone samples from the same graves also differed in the type of staining and mineral inclusions, showing that the non-bioeroded samples relatively early post-mortem must have experienced an anoxic environment, and later a change to an aerated environment. This could be taken as an indication of primary burial somewhere else, but more likely reflect a special micro-environment occurring temporarily in some graves and parts of graves after the tombs were filled with soil and sealed by roof slabs. The study illustrates the usefulness of bone histological analysis in the reconstruction of post-mortem histories, revealing variations not discernible at macro-level that may aid in the interpretations of funerary rituals. However, the results also highlight the issues of equi-finality. Based on current data and knowledge, several scenarios are possible. Further histo-taphonomic work is advisable, including archaeological remains from megalithic tombs, and bones from taphonomic experiments.
EAA2014- Chasing Death Ways Session-Programme & Abstracts, 2014
Advances in scientific analyses of funerary remains have yielded a lot of useful data. However, a lot ofinformation reveals itself only in the field and must be evaluated and interpreted on site. Identifying what isthe result of direct human actions or indirect taphonomic processes is not easy. Participation by osteologistsduring excavation is extremely valuable, not just for the archaeologists in charge of documentation, but also forthe specialists later tasked with interpreting the practices and events resulting in the collected bone material.Drawing upon our experiences from the excavation of an Iron Age cemetery with preserved pyre sites in OldUppsala, we wish to show that careful analysis of position and anatomical representation of both human andanimal bones can reveal important aspects of the funerary ritual. We will also present results from full scaleexperiments with pyres containing objects and animals and highlight important issues and questions theseexperiments raise about what we think we know about the mortuary practices in this period.
This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study combining archaeology, osteology, and stable isotope analyses. The geological conditions and richness of megalithic graves in Falbygden is suitable for studies of Neolithic human remains. Nevertheless, the Late Neolithic period (2350–1700 BC) is poorly investigated. This paper explores new knowledge of the Late Neolithic megalithic population in Falbygden. In-depth osteological and archaeological studies focusing on a single gallery grave (Falköping stad 5) were conducted. Radiocarbon dating and carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope analyses of teeth from twenty-one individuals revealed the time of the grave’s use, as well as the subsistence and mobility practices of the buried individuals. The grave was already in use during the first part of the Late Neolithic and used into the second part of the period by individuals of different origin. Furthermore, the results indicated changing population dynamics in the Late Neolithic Falbygden, with increased human mobility, variability in subsistence strategies, and growing population density.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2023
In this paper, we investigate the Scandinavian Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of Kinnekulle in southwestern Sweden. The above-mentioned periods in the study area are poorly understood and the archaeological record consists of a few stray finds and a concentration of 20 gallery graves. This study focuses on three of the gallery graves where commingled skeletons from successive burials were recovered. The human remains and the artefacts from the graves were used for discussing individual life stories as well as living societies with the aim of gaining new knowledge of the last part of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age in southwestern Sweden. We focused on questions concerning health and trauma, mobility and exchange networks, and diet and subsistence of the people using the graves. Chronological, bioarchaeological, and biomolecular aspects of the burials were approached through the application of archaeological and osteological studies, as well as stable isotope, strontium isotope, radiocarbon, and mtDNA analyses. The study provides evidence for high mobility and diverse diets, as well as inhumations primarily dated to the transition between the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. We suggest that the mountain plateau of Kinnekulle was mainly reserved for the dead, while the people lived in agriculture-based groups in the surrounding lower lying regions.