Looking for the invisible: The use of anthracological analysis to reveal ritual acts in the eneolithic cremations of Puglia (SE Italy)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study of the necropolis of Salve (Lecce-south Puglia-Italy), in which tumuli were used as funerary monuments from the mid-4th to the mid-3rd millennia BC. Both cremation and burial rituals are attested. The discovery of anthracological finds among the remains of cremations in the necropolis of Salve offered an opportunity to study the role of plants in the funerary rituals of the Eneolithic communities of Puglia. The anthracological analysis sought to reconstruct the phases of the cremation ritual not directly visible at the site, such as the ignition of the pyre and the collection and transport of the burnt remains.The identified wood species are typical of the local Mediterranean vegetation, and consist mostly of evergreen oak (Quercus type ilex), deciduous oak (Quercus type deciduous) and olive (Olea europaea). Given the high energy density of these species, it is possible that they were used to sustain the prolonged fire of the pyre. Other wood species include green shrubs (Rhamnus/Phillyrea) and plum (Prunus sp.), perhaps used to start the fire.Differences between the mounds are visible in the selection of the fuel and are partly reflected in the building technique and the arrangement of the bodies inside the funerary structures. The results of the anthracological analysis offer new insights into prehistoric funerary rituals and provide a new perspective on the funerary customs of the Eneolithic communities of Puglia.