Mortuary practices in Bam after the earthquake

Abstract

On 26 December 2003, an earthquake in Bam, south-eastern Iran, resulted in an estimated death toll of 40,000. This article suggests that post-disaster burial practices provide alternative avenues for research, notably the changes in burial styles, grave markers and other material culture associated with burials. This article is the result of ethnoarchaeological research conducted on eight cemeteries in Bam, at intervals of 2, 6 and 17 months after the earthquake. The cemeteries chosen span a time period of 200 years prior to the disaster to 17 months after it, in order to track a wide range of long-term patterns. The post-disaster burial patterns are compared with those patterns prior to the disaster. We hope to demonstrate that the patterns present can be used to interpret burial practices under conditions such as natural disasters in archaeological contexts.