Social Identities in Roman Children’s Burials. Roman Cemetery at Apulum-Dealul Furcilor

Abstract

The children’s graves from the cemetery at Apulum-Dealul Furcilor are a category of archaeological contexts that is worth studying because too little is known about the funerary treatments of the children from Roman Dacia. These graves contain the material remains of a number of practices that could indicate the perceived social identities of the child and the mourners. These coded identities can be deciphered by using statistical analyses, the process of understanding the archaeological assemblages being eased in this way. However, a proper interpretation of these contexts requires the incorporation of existing knowledge about the status of the Roman children, their activities, their surrounding material culture and the way in which it was handled, their obligations and rights, the relations with the parents and different relatives, etc. Therefore, the study of this theme could open many doors towards other related subjects.