Funerary practices from columnata necropolis. Presentation of the last three burials excavated

Abstract

We describe in this paper 3 burial practices from the last hunter-gatherers lower Holocene populations of Columnata locality (Tiaret-Algeria). Despite their poor bone condition and some obvious grave disturbances, these individual burials are seen as primary depositions. They were placed in clogged tombs in a dorsal position, with no particular orientation of the body and without any deliberate bone’s modification as noticed with iberomaurusian burials. Bovine horns can be considered as voluntary funerary goods as reported for iberomaurusian or capsian burial unlike the semewhat non-deliberate lithic and faunal remains discovered into the graves. In this respect, grave H1 deposit is a singular case. Another special feature of this site is the stone arrangement in the inner space of H1 and H2. Such an early stonework could be reported according to the graves dates to the 10th and 8th millenia BC. Two of the tombs were built with stones to mark their position which is quite advanced for that time.