Chapter 10 - In the Heat of the Pyre

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the archaeological evidence from the Roman-British period (43–410 ad) to assess the levels of oxidation, the potential factors affecting variation and ultimately what importance was laid on the level of oxidation achieved. The process of cremation – both in modern crematoria and on an open pyre – is considered, highlighting the factors affecting its efficiency and the appearance of the final product. A brief outline of the mortuary rite of cremation in Roman Britain is followed by an assessment of the observed variations in the oxidation of bones in the light of a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The main cause of minor variability in the degree of oxidation seen in Romano-British cremated remains within the sample appears to relate to body mass; adults, and among them a slightly higher proportion of males, show the greatest frequency, range and extent of variability. This suggests that the quantity of wood and/or size of the pyre were not always adjusted to accommodate variations in the size of the deceased. This may result in an overall deficiency in the amount of time and related sustained temperature necessary to oxidise all the body’s organic components and in the corpse’s extremities lying too close to the cooler peripheries of an undersized pyre. There are indications that incomplete oxidation of the bone occurred more frequently and to a greater extent in cities compared with the rural areas, overall both appearing less effective than the cremations undertaken in the Northern Frontier zones.