Funerary Archaeology Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Im Jahr 2010 fand im Zuge der Neuerrichtung des Wiener Hauptbahnhofes in der Landgutgasse im 10. Wiener Gemeindebezirk eine Ausgrabung auf dem Gelände des ehemaligen Matzleinsdorfer Friedhofs statt. Dieser Friedhof war einer der fünf... more

Im Jahr 2010 fand im Zuge der Neuerrichtung des Wiener Hauptbahnhofes in der Landgutgasse im 10. Wiener Gemeindebezirk eine Ausgrabung auf dem Gelände des ehemaligen Matzleinsdorfer Friedhofs statt. Dieser Friedhof war einer der fünf ehemaligen kommunalen Friedhöfe, die im Zuge der Friedhofs- und Begräbnisreformen Kaiser Josephs II. im Jahr 1784 vor den Toren der Stadt Wien entstanden. Der Band präsentiert die Ergebnisse der archäologischen Ausgrabung. Die aufgefundenen verstorbenen Individuen konnten mit Hilfe von Schriftquellen namentlich identifiziert werden.

In 1809, after killing two men aboard the schooner Three Sisters, Edward Jordan was tried and executed for piracy by the Admiralty Court in Halifax. After execution, his body was gibbeted, or hanged in chains, in Point Pleasant Park. It... more

In 1809, after killing two men aboard the schooner Three Sisters, Edward Jordan was tried and executed for piracy by the Admiralty Court in Halifax. After execution, his body was gibbeted, or hanged in chains, in Point Pleasant Park. It remained there for over three decades, slowly deteriorating until only the skull remained. In 1844 the skull was collected from Point Pleasant Park and ultimately it was given to the Nova Scotia Museum (NSM). Last year (2007) it was on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (MMA) as a part of their Pirates: Myth vs. Reality exhibit.

Shabtis, the small figures from Egyptian tombs which do the unpleasant work in place of the deceased persons in the hereafter, have a special charm because they are funny and often also very beautifully crafted works of art. The... more

Shabtis, the small figures from Egyptian tombs which do the unpleasant work in place of the deceased persons in the hereafter, have a special charm because they are funny and often also very beautifully crafted works of art. The introduction gives a brief overview of the typology and dating, including shabtis of famous persons like Tutankhamun, Sety I, Merenptah, Siptah, Juya, Sennedjem. 64 pages with pictures. 3rd edition.
ASIN: ‎ B0B7XYPV18
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0B7XYPV18/

Louvain-la-Neuve, 8-9 december 2016 Collective tombs were widespread in the Near East and Europe during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, up to the point that their proliferation and diffusion in the late 4 th millennium BC was singled... more

Louvain-la-Neuve, 8-9 december 2016 Collective tombs were widespread in the Near East and Europe during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, up to the point that their proliferation and diffusion in the late 4 th millennium BC was singled out as a «phenomenon». For example, 6000 Neolithic collective burials have been identified in France 1 and it is by far the most common type of tomb on Crete during the Early Bronze Age, a situation which strongly contrasts with the mortuary customs of other areas and periods of the Aegean 2. All collective burials are characterized by the successive gathering, during a more or less extended period of time, of several deceased within the same confined space. The treatment of the body, however, as well as the mortuary practices and the rituals associated with collective tombs display much variability. The latter can be architectural, with natural and man-made tombs, subterranean and above-ground structures or apply to funerary treatment with a diversity which includes primary or secondary deposits, cremation and inhumation. It can also imply a variety in the deposition of objects, such as personal belongings, provisions for the journey of the deceased or ceremonial items. Finally, it may also entail various manipulations of bones for tomb cleaning or ritual purposes. Currently, research on collective tombs tends to focus on one of the following issues: 1 Chambon 2003 Les morts dans les sépultures collectives néolithiques en France, CNRS éditions. 2 Herrero 2009 The Minoan fallacy: cultural diversity and mortuary behaviour on Crete at the beginning of the Bronze Age, Oxford Journal of Archaeology 28: 29–57

This is a case study aimed at analyzing the funerary practices and rituals of the Roman necropolises in the ager Tarraconensis during the Roman period (1 st – 3 rd centuries AD).The aim of this article is to identify and analyze the... more

This is a case study aimed at analyzing the funerary practices and rituals of the Roman necropolises in the ager Tarraconensis during the Roman period (1 st – 3 rd centuries AD).The aim of this article is to identify and analyze the rituals performed in agro. In the territorium of Tarraco, funerary areas were an important part of rural settlements. Some were placed on the borders between fundi, others next to the coast overlooking the sea. Each funerary area is a particular case, so it is necessary to study its evolution together with rural landscape. The dynamics of the spatial relationship between burials, roads and rural settlements, such as uillae and farms, are very clearly reflected in funerary monumenta. Through them, major landowners strengthened the relationship between land and family. We also propose an overall picture of funerary rituals. We have studied the objects related to them and ritual practices such as libations and food offerings.

Les grands travaux d’urbanisme réalisés à la fin du XVe siècle et au XVIe siècle, ainsi que le goût de l’architecture de la Renaissance, impriment encore nettement le paysage monumental orléanais et plus particulièrement le quartier... more

Les grands travaux d’urbanisme réalisés à la fin du XVe siècle et au XVIe siècle, ainsi que le goût de l’architecture de la Renaissance, impriment encore nettement le paysage monumental orléanais et plus particulièrement le quartier autour de l’actuelle place de l’Étape, dont le plan remonte aux années 1480. Le projet d’aménagement de la seconde ligne de tramway a offert l’opportunité de découvrir les vestiges médiévaux en sous-sol de ce quartier extra muros et de restituer son évolution sur huit siècles. La fouille, d’une
superficie de 1 400 m2, a été réalisée par l’Inrap durant l’année 2010. L’article fait état des résultats de cette campagne archéologique qui renouvelle la discussion relative au développement d’un quartier marqué par des activités religieuses, hospitalières et funéraires dans le suburbium septentrional et dans le prolongement du quartier cathédral.

Shabtis, the small figures from Egyptian tombs which do the unpleasant work in place of the deceased persons in the hereafter, have a special charm because they are funny and often also very beautifully crafted works of art. The... more

Shabtis, the small figures from Egyptian tombs which do the unpleasant work in place of the deceased persons in the hereafter, have a special charm because they are funny and often also very beautifully crafted works of art. The introduction gives a brief overview of the typology and dating, including shabtis of famous persons like Tutankhamun, Sety I. Merenptah, Siptah, Juya, Sennedjem…

The tomb of Wekhhotep III (C1) is the last decorated tomb to be excavated in the cemetery of Meir, with a probable date of the Twelfth Dynasty reign of Senwosret II and/or Senwosret III. It has recently been re-excavated and re-recorded... more

The tomb of Wekhhotep III (C1) is the last decorated tomb to be excavated in the cemetery of Meir, with a probable date of the Twelfth Dynasty reign of Senwosret II and/or Senwosret III. It has recently been re-excavated and re-recorded by the Australian Centre for Egyptology. The present volume provides a comprehensive record of the tomb’s architectural features and wall scenes, a complete set of colour photographs and detailed line drawings of all of its scenes and inscriptions, as well as a translation and analysis of those inscriptions. The tomb contains a number of unusual features, which include an exceptionally high number of women depicted with the tomb owner, the exclusive representation of women undertaking all activities within the chapel, Wekhhotep’s adoption of several royal prerogatives, and an absence of shafts and burial chambers in the immediate vicinity of the tomb. Wekhhotep III did not produce a male heir and the evidence suggests that the rule of his family came to an end with him. His tomb, therefore, provides important insights into the end of the power of nomarchic families during the mid-late Twelfth Dynasty.

At first glance, one of the constants in the history of the Lower Danube territories during the last years of the first century BC and especially in the first century AD and the first decades of the next century, is represented by the... more

At first glance, one of the constants in the history of the Lower Danube territories during the last years of
the first century BC and especially in the first century AD and the first decades of the next century, is represented by
the armed conflicts between the Roman forces and the Sarmatians attempting to attack the Roman possessions.
However, the diplomatic relations between the Sarmatians and the Romans are relatively early attested. At the end of
the first century AD and during the first decades of the next century the arrival of Sarmatian communities in
Wallachia1 is attested by archaeological discoveries. The settlement of the Sarmatians on the Wallachian territory
takes place with the consent and under the supervision of the Roman authorities. Based on the archaeological finds,
the first stage of the Sarmatian presence in the Lower Danubian limes area is characterized by the presence of certain
communities probably small in terms of numbers, in which the warriors, judging on the whole, are not very visible.
The settlement of the Sarmatian groups in the mentioned area probably took place in close connection with the
functioning of the Lower Danubian limes, not so much as military aid, but rather for reasons of supplying the Roman
military units. The Sarmatians receiving stipends and whose kings were friends of the Roman Empire seem to be
others than those established in Wallachia. The second stage of Sarmatian arrival in the areas neighbouring the limes
of Moesia inferior is occasioned by the motions occurring in the Barbaricum at the same time with the Marcomannic
wars. Several arguments could suggest a possible tightening of the Roman control over the Sarmatian communities in
Wallachia, sometime in the second half of the second century AD and during the first half of the next century.
Sometime around the middle of the third century AD, the Roman control over Wallachia ends.

The paper evaluates works of ancient authors who mention and provide details of the burial of fallen soldiers in ancient Greece, and then it compares them with preserved archaeological finds. Textual analysis shows a long-term tradition... more

The paper evaluates works of ancient authors who mention and provide details of the burial of fallen soldiers in ancient Greece, and then it compares them with preserved archaeological finds. Textual analysis shows a long-term tradition of war graves on battlefields. The commanders of the troops provided funeral services in the first place, as the extradition request of bodies was equal to the recognition of defeat. In most cases both sides had enough time to take care of their fallen after the battle, but there were exceptions when the last honors were rather provisional. In addition to burial directly on the battlefield, it seems that, depending on the circumstances, the removal of the remains to the hometown or burial outside the battlefield and outside the home also applies. The tombstones could have various forms, in the case of collective burials, tumuli with stelae bearing the names of the deceased were preferred, in the case of burial of military commanders, tombstones took the form of a monumental statue. Cremation burial is thought to have prevailed over inhumation.

Breunsdorf liegt im Süden der Leipziger Tieflandsbucht. Für den fortschreitenden Braunkohlenabbau im Tagebau Schleenhain wurde der Ort in den Jahren 1994 bis 1996 abgerissen. Aus diesem Anlass wurde auch die Breunsdorfer Kirche... more

Breunsdorf liegt im Süden der Leipziger Tieflandsbucht. Für den fortschreitenden Braunkohlenabbau im Tagebau Schleenhain wurde der Ort in den Jahren 1994 bis 1996 abgerissen. Aus diesem Anlass wurde auch die Breunsdorfer Kirche vollständig ausgegraben.
Die Kirche bildete den topographischen und geistigen Mittelpunkt Breunsdorfs. Durch baugeschichtliche Untersuchungen des aufgehenden Mauerwerks vor ihrem Abbruch und die anschließenden archäologischen Ausgrabungen kann die interessante Entwicklung des Gebäudes nachgezeichnet werden, das fast die gesamte Geschichte des Dorfes begleitet hat. Das einheitliche Erscheinungsbild unserer Zeit täuschte darüber hinweg, dass der Kirchenraum über Jahrhunderte schrittweise vergrößert wurde, um mit dem Wachstum der Gemeinde Schritt zu halten.

The period between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE generally suffers from poor archaeological documentation. The materials from necropoleis of this time raise various theoretical questions, as they are associated with the transitional phase... more

The period between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE generally suffers from poor archaeological documentation. The materials from necropoleis of this time raise various theoretical questions, as they are associated with the transitional phase between the Iberian and Roman worlds. This article analyzes some of the reasons contributing to the difficulty of the study of funerary contexts from this period, and the changes in funerary rituals that resulted from Roman colonization, using the specific example of the necropolis of Castulo (Linares, Jaén)

Desde que el Análisis Espacial en Arqueología hizo su aparición muchos han sido los investigadores que se lanzaron a nadar en sus aguas turbulentas, así como muchos fueron los trabajos que han sido desarrollados en este ámbito. La... more

Desde que el Análisis Espacial en Arqueología hizo su aparición muchos han sido los investigadores que se lanzaron a nadar en sus aguas turbulentas, así como muchos fueron los trabajos que han sido desarrollados en este ámbito.
La correlación de variables, la caracterización del tipo de distribución, etc. se convirtieron en la finalidad a descubrir, e hicieron de la arqueología una mera cuestión estadística en la que fenomenología del componente material se impuso por encima del componente social en la explicación de la Cultura.
Los SIG han irrumpido en el campo de Arqueología con fuerza y a veces como justificadores de la investigación arqueológica. Lejos de estos planteamientos, creemos que la aplicación de los SIG a la arqueología debe versar en su conceptualización como herramientas de gran potencial al servicio de la explicación y no como finalidad en sí; es decir no sustituir los viejos fantasmas por nuevos hologramas.
La mayoría de las aplicaciones SIG han versado especialmente en la plasmación territorial de determinados fenómenos culturales, desarrollando lo que podríamos llamar: la versión macroespacial.
El proceso investigativo que estamos desarrollando quiere volcar ese potencial al “análisis intrasite” (del yacimiento propiamente dicho y/o de la excavación arqueológica), desarrollando principios metodológicos generalizables (que no universales) y análisis particulares (que no excluyentes), en donde los fenómenos sean descubiertos para provocar con ello la necesidad de la explicación cultural.
Como ejemplo queremos presentar un avance de la aplicación de estos principios a los enterramientos calcolíticos de “El Negrón” (Gilena, Sevilla) que se está llevando a cabo en estos momentos por R. Cruz-Auñón, J.C. Mejías y J.M. Guijo. Se trata de mostrar el procedimiento metodológico para detectar un determinado fenómeno en cuanto a la “distribución anómala” de ciertos items materiales que precisarán posteriormente de una explicación social y cultural.

Memorias del 4 congreso de investigación (UNACH)

Objectives: We describe a method to identify human remains excavated from unmarked graves in historical Québec cemeteries by combining parental-lineage genetic markers with the whole-population genealogy of Québec contained in the BALSAC... more

Objectives: We describe a method to identify human remains excavated from unmarked graves in historical Québec cemeteries by combining parental-lineage genetic markers with the whole-population genealogy of Québec contained in the BALSAC database. Materials and methods: The remains of six men were exhumed from four historical cemeteries in the province of Québec, Canada. DNA was extracted from the remains and genotyped to reveal their mitochondrial and Y-chromosome haplotypes, which were compared to a collection of haplotypes of genealogically-anchored modern volunteers. Maternal and paternal genealogies were searched in the BALSAC genealogi-cal record for parental couples matching the mitochondrial and the Y-chromosome haplotypic signatures, to identify candidate sons from whom the remains could have originated. Results: Analysis of the matching genealogies identified the parents of one man inhumed in the cemetery of the investigated parish during its operating time. The candidate individual died in 1833 at the age of 58, a plausible age at death in light of osteological analysis of the remains.

Using one interpretative lens across a whole culture area, over millennia, and superimposing it onto an entire subset of individuals, in this case children in the Canadian Plateau Culture area, is problematic. An holistic approach based... more

Using one interpretative lens across a whole culture area, over millennia, and superimposing it onto an entire subset of individuals, in this case children in the Canadian Plateau Culture area, is problematic. An holistic approach based on indigenous anthropology and gender archaeology can challenge popular myths about status and prestige that are currently entrenched in archaeological interpretations in this region. Archaeological and ethnographic thesis data on social organization and burial practice in the Plateau culture area of British Columbia, Canada provides an opportunity to take this entrenched interpretive approach outside of the androcentric/eurocentric/adult-centered 'box' to reveal the shortcomings that result from a reliance on prestige as the focal point of interpretation. Using archaeological and ethnographic data we challenge this orthodoxy and the myths that have developed out of these assumptions, and suggest instead that the special treatment accorded child burials is culturally motivated and based on the perception of children as unique beings, not fully socialized, and as such members of a different order or gender. Hence, their grave assemblages cannot be compared directly to those of adults and an interpretation of their grave goods cannot support myths about status and prestige in the Canadian Plateau culture area

The study of cremated human remains from archaeological contexts has traditionally been viewed as less valuable than the study of inhumed bodies. However, recent methodological and theoretical developments regarding the taphonomic... more

The study of cremated human remains from archaeological contexts has traditionally been viewed as less valuable than the study of inhumed bodies. However, recent methodological and theoretical developments regarding the taphonomic processes that transform the human body during cremation have highlighted their potential for understanding past cultural and funerary practices. This study combines the first application of spectroscopic with more traditional methods of studying cremated bone to examine Romano-British contexts, with the aim of better understanding funerary practices along the military frontier. Five Romano-British military sites from northern England (Beckfoot, Carlisle, Herd Hill, Lincoln and Malton) were studied, with remains excavated from a range of cinerary urn contexts. Despite the known heterogeneity of the ethnic composition of the Roman army, analyses revealed a surprising consistency with respect to the cremation practice, implying shared knowledge of pyre procedure and, possibly, a prescribed funerary practice amongst military communities in the Roman North. The consistency within these five northern provincial sites in Britain stands in contrast to cremation contexts from Roman sites elsewhere in Europe, as well as other periods of the British past. The associated material culture recovered from these cremation deposits, however, does provide evidence for differences in dress and bodily display. This contrasts with the homogeneity of the cremation technology and highlights the importance of these individualizing features for signalling identity amongst Roman military communities in Britain.

This study (as part of our Master thesis) was concerned with the end of the Epipaleolithic of the Near East and particularly with the Natufian culture (13 100-9 600 BC cal.). The early period (13 100-11 000 BC cal.) of this latter marks a... more

This study (as part of our Master thesis) was concerned with the end of the Epipaleolithic of the Near East and particularly with the Natufian culture (13 100-9 600 BC cal.). The early period (13 100-11 000 BC cal.) of this latter marks a major change in human behavior that occurred during the Prehistory of the Southern Levant: the transition for these groups of hunter-gatherers from a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary life and the emergence of new structures that involve modifications of the social organization, techniques, economic strategies and especially of the symbolic domain. The main objective of our study was to approach the technical system of these populations through one of the means of their symbolic expression: personal ornaments. For this approach to be as relevant as possible, we interested ourselves in a particular context, whose boundaries in time and space are determined: the burials. We indeed wanted to know what materials were chosen? According to what criteria? How and by whom were they obtained? How and by whom were they transformed? How were they worn? And especially what information could we generate on the organization of these societies? To address these issues we then studied two distinct sets of personal ornaments found in the burials of a child H28-32.1 (4-6 years old) and an adult H57a (20‐29 years of undetermined sex), from the earliest Natufian layers of Mugharet el-Wad. Each of these 964 ornament elements, so far never studied, has been individually studyed according to a methodological protocol common to all in order to determine their schema of acquisition, manufacture and use. Then it appears that the “schéma d’acquisition” of raw materials (long bone of medium/large ungulates; scaphopod shells from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Pliocene formation; tibiotarsus of partridge; phalange of gazelle) is relatively complex and requires an investment (economic and human) relatively important, at the same time we learn that the selection of these materials falls within criteria of choice (among the available elements) well defined. The “schéma de fabrication” tells us about technical investment and skills that was required in the manufacture of each of these elements of ornament, as well as on the notion of “technical signature” or the aesthetic standardization of finished products. Finally the “schéma de fonctionnement” informs us about how these elements were tied and associated in composite arrangements and most importantly, on the duration, more or less long, of their use. Through this study it appears then that we can approach the social organization of the Natufian societies through the analysis of interactions between actors of the "schéma opératoire" of personal ornaments and the status of holders of these elements that open a field of reflection on concepts such as “craft specialization”, “capitalization”, or even the “social hierarchy” of these human groups.

Cremation is a complex and variable fiery technology. Across the human past and present, fire has been variously deployed to transform the dead in a range of spatial and social contexts. Often operating together with other disposal... more

Cremation is a complex and variable fiery technology. Across the human past and present, fire has been variously deployed to transform the dead in a range of spatial and social contexts. Often operating together with other disposal methods, cremation has risen and fallen in popularity in association with many shifts in mortuary practice since the Stone Age (Cerezo-Román & Williams 2014;Williams et al. 2017).Yet ‘cre- mation’ is far more than just the fiery dissolution of the human cadaver: in the human past and present it is often part of a multi-staged mortuary process that can afford a range of distinctive spatial and material possibilities for the translation and curation of the ‘cremains’ or ‘ashes’ together with a range of other mate- rial cultures and substances. By rendering cadavers fragmented, shrunken, and distorted, burning bodies not only denies decomposition and speeds corpse transformation, it renders the dead portable and partible. In a range of subsequent post-cremation practices and beliefs, ‘ashes’ from pyres can be considered a versatile mnemonic and numinous substance which might be consigned to graves and tombs, but also readily strewn over land and water or integrated into above-ground architectures and portable material cultures. Hence, not only does cremation involve fiery transformation, it facilitates the creation of varied and distinctive landscapes of death and memory through the deposition and commemoration of the dead in which ashes facilitate remembering and forgetting through their presence and their staged absence.