Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Non-Normative Burials in Finland in the Eleventh–Thirteenth Centuries AD

Abstract

The variety in burial customs and funerary treatments may fail to be noticed in large-scale analysis and strict categorizations. This chapter suggests that an archaeothanatological method, which helps reconstruct the original burial position and corpse treatment, and a microarchaeological framework, which pays attention to details instead of making broad generalizations, help identify the variations in funerary treatments and burial customs, and reveal possible cases of atypical burials. These burials should not be viewed simply as manifestations of good or bad death or fear of the dead, nor interpreted as reflections of religious beliefs. Instead, they should be placed in the wider socio-historical contexts and studied from various perspectives. Overall, this chapter highlights the benefits of using multiple scientific and anthropological methods, including archaeothanatology and microarchaeology, in identifying and interpreting atypical burials and encourages future studies to employ similar scientific methods.