Abstract
Recently rediscovered photographs of the remains of thirteen individuals buried in the Sado Valley Mesolithic shell middens of Poças de S. Bento and Arapouco, excavated in 1960 and 1962, show the potential of revisiting excavation archives with new methods. The analysis, which applies the principles of archaeothanatology and is enriched by experimental taphonomic research, confirmed details concerning the treatment of the dead body and provided new insights into the use of burial spaces. Some bodies may have been mummified prior to burial, a phenomenon possibly linked to their curation and transport, highlighting the significance of both the body and the burial place in Mesolithic south-western Portugal.
Highlights
A few years ago, three rolls of film from the excavation of two Mesolithic burial sites in the Sado Valley in south-western Portugal resurfaced
Bento has revealed evidence of mortuary practices that correspond to what we already know about Mesolithic burials in Portugal, with a slight variation in the position of the body between the two sites perhaps reflecting local traditions
The unusual pattern presented by Arapouco’s photographs to the 1962 excavation season (ARA1962), unknown 3, i.e. the combination of the position of the body and the maintenance of the labile articulations of the feet, suggests that in addition to having been wrapped, this body may have been desiccated through mummification before burial
Summary
A few years ago, three rolls of film from the excavation of two Mesolithic burial sites in the Sado Valley in south-western Portugal resurfaced. At Arapouco, the most common initial position of the cadaver in the feature (Table S3) was on its back (n = 6) or rotated to the side (n = 2), with the lower limbs in flexion or hyperflexion, placed towards the upper body and with the feet forced towards the buttocks (Figure 5) This constricted position results in a phenomenon referred to as ‘clumping’, previously observed in the Sado burial sites (Peyroteo-Stjerna, 2016: 444) and interpreted as resulting from hypercontraction of the body during decomposition in situ by the progressive closure of the angles between the anatomical segments. Several good examples of rapid penetration of sediment are known at Arapouco, and an hourglass effect (Duday, 2009: 38) was often detected, indicating that fine sand could penetrate immediately and progressively fill the empty spaces created as soft tissue decayed, preventing the bones from collapsing
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