Bronze Age Graves Research Articles

Faunal Remains from Bronze Age Graves at the Tuakhane IX Cemetery (Lake Baikal)

Faunal Remains from Bronze Age Graves at the Tuakhane IX Cemetery (Lake Baikal)

Tales from Ginderup Mound in Thisted County, Denmark

The preservation of organic and human remains in Early Nordic Bronze Age mounds (1700 BCE -1100 BCE) permits new provenance work on this important period. Studies have shown that different mobility/non-mobility patterns were exercised by elite women during this time. To extend the database, we conducted strontium isotope analyses of the enamel from the second and third molars from the elite female grave from Ginderup in Thisted County, Denmark. Among other items, this grave included the textile remains of a possible corded skirt or fringed blanket. We complemented analyses of this woman’s enamel with strontium isotope analyses of the first molar from Grave B as well as osteological analysis of the individuals from Early Nordic Bronze Age Graves A, B and C.
 Our results revealed that the strontium isotope ratios obtained from the woman wearing a possible corded skirt yielded one local ratio (M2) and one non-local ratio (M3). The results from Grave B yielded a ratio which falls within the local baseline of present-day Denmark. Our results suggest that the Ginderup Woman was probably of local origin, but that she also was repeatedly mobile during her life. These data are further evidence for the Nordic Bronze Age’s complex socio-dynamics.

The Ambivalent Dead: Curation, Excarnation and Complex Post-mortem Trajectories in Middle and Late Bronze Age Britain

This paper sets out the results of radiocarbon, histological, and contextual analysis of human remains from non-mortuary contexts in Middle and Late Bronze Age Britain. In the latter period in particular, human bone (much of it fragmentary and disarticulated) has frequently been recovered from settlement contexts and from other locations, such as waterholes, across the wider landscape. However, the source and post-mortem trajectories of such finds are poorly understood. The results of our analyses indicate that some of these finds come from primary burials while others were the result of post-mortem processes such as excarnation. Certain fragments appear to have been curated for lengthy periods of time but there is much less evidence for deliberate curation of bone than there is in Early Bronze Age graves, although other forms of manipulation, such as cutting and shaping of bone fragments, have been recorded. In contrast to the Early Bronze Age, where it has been argued that curated bones may have belonged to venerated ancestors, some of the individuals from the sites discussed in this paper had suffered violent deaths, suggesting that bones selected for manipulation, curation, and deposition may have belonged to a variety of different categories of person.

Cranial deformation in the northwestern Caspian Sea region in the Bronze Age: Siberian parallels

AbstractThis research examined the occipitoparietal deformations of the Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia and the similarities between those deformations and head modifications among the population of the Okunev culture in Southern Siberia. The study objects used were 3D models of neurocrania from 41 individuals retrieved from Early Bronze Age graves in the northwestern Caspian Sea region and 64 individuals from the Okunev graves. Analyses, of the skull shape variations, included geometric morphometrics, generalized Procrustes analysis, and principal component analysis with visualization of morphological changes as heat maps. Statistically significant differences between the subgroups were tested by performing dispersion analysis (ANOVA) using the Geomorph package. The samples of Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia showed differences between deformed and non‐deformed skulls, as well as differences in the location of the deformed regions in both males and females. The differences between chronological groups turned out to be stronger than the difference between undeformed and deformed skulls in the Okunev samples. The next analysis focused only on the Okunev deformed skulls involving a study and assessment of the differences in the types of deformation between the early and late subgroups. The final analysis demonstrated similarities between the Bronze Age male deformed neurocrania from the northwestern Caspian Sea region and those from the early Okunev culture. The study confirmed the occipitoparietal flattening on the Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia using geometric morphometrics. This skull deformation finds analogies among deformed male neurocrania from the early chronological horizons of the Okunev culture. The similarity of head modifications in populations from different geographical regions indicates contact between these populations. This is confirmed by archaeological data and nonmetric cranial traits.

A bolt from the blue: investigations of a singular Bronze Age grave from the Chalcolithic site Ruginoasa (north-eastern Romania)

A bolt from the blue: investigations of a singular Bronze Age grave from the Chalcolithic site Ruginoasa (north-eastern Romania)

The Ceramic Context of a “Jiroft” Style Chlorite Vessel

The modern looting of a Bronze Age grave located at the site of Mahtoutabad (near Konar Sandal South, Jiroft) has, for the first time, revealed a range of ceramic materials that accompanied the carved chlorite artefacts of the Halil Rud or Jiroft style. In this paper we present and examine an assemblage of recovered finds including a carved chlorite shard and their archaeological context followed by a discussion specifically related to the original funerary deposit. Finally, by conducting a cross-comparative survey between the recovered objects and those from other Early Bronze age sites of the region, we provide a possible, preliminary chronology for the looted grave of Mahtoutabad.

The Earliest Cremation Burials in the South-Eastern Alpine Region from the Middle Bronze Age – Signs of Intercultural Connections with the Northern Carpathian Basin

Abstract The article considers cremation graves from the site of Podsmreka near Višnja Gora (Slovenia). Based on the analysis of their pottery, it could be shown that the graves can be dated to the Middle Bronze Age period (Br B2/C1) and thus represent one of the oldest cremation burials of the Bronze Age in Slovenia. First, the ceramic finds from the radiocarbon dated settlement contexts are discussed in order to reach a more exact chronological framework for the vessel forms from graves. A synthesis of all Middle Bronze Age graves, both inhumations and cremations, from central and eastern Slovenia allows us to get a better understanding of when the change in burial practices occurred. Surprisingly, the best analogies for the vessels from graves at Podsmreka near Višnja Gora can be found in the northern Carpathian Basin, where we observe a long-standing tradition of cremation burials. The analysis of radiocarbon samples from two graves from Šafárikovo in Slovakia allowed us to verify the absolute chronology of urn amphorae vessels with particular form and decoration, which we can date between the second half of the 16th and the first half of the 15th century BC. Such astonishing correspondences in the pottery between the northern Carpathian Basin and the south-eastern Alpine region seem to indicate that the very area of the Upper Tisza river, and the territory of the Piliny Culture, played a crucial role in the transmission of new burial practices, not only to Slovenia, but also across wider areas along the Sava and Drava rivers on the distribution area of the Virovitica group.

Seddin, Freyenstein and Wittstock. Research, presentation and sustainable site management in Northern Brandenburg

Brandenburg State Authorities for Heritage Management and State Museum of Archaeology, together with local authorities, developed a project, to integrate various important archaeological sites into a shared cultural tourism concept – thus the Prignitz Archaeological Route was formed. This article highlights three of the seven sites that are included in the project: the Bronze Age grave mound from 800 BCE at Seddin, the abandoned town of the 12th and 13th century in Freyenstein and the battlefield from 1636 near Wittstock. Each place had to apply three main approaches: heritage management, research and tourism development.

Milk of ruminants in ceramic baby bottles from prehistoric child graves.

The study of childhood diet, including breastfeeding and weaning, has important implications for our understanding of infant mortality and fertility in past societies1. Stable isotope analyses of nitrogen from bone collagen and dentine samples of infants have provided information on the timing of weaning2; however, little is known about which foods were consumed by infants in prehistory. The earliest known clay vessels that were possibly used for feeding infants appear in Neolithic Europe, and become more common throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, these vessels-which include a spout through which liquid could be poured-have also been suggested to be feeding vessels for the sick or infirm3,4. Here we report evidence for the foods that were contained in such vessels, based on analyses of the lipid 'fingerprints' and the compound-specific δ13C and Δ13C values of the major fatty acids of residues from three small, spouted vessels that were found in Bronze and Iron Age graves of infants in Bavaria. The results suggest that the vessels were used to feed infants with milk products derived from ruminants. This evidence of the foodstuffs that were used to either feed or wean prehistoric infants confirms the importance of milk from domesticated animals for these early communities, and provides information on the infant-feeding behaviours that were practised by prehistoric human groups.

The presumed Early Bronze Age grave from the Radom Plain

In the area of Mokrzec village a human bones were accidentally discovered, along with the accompanying artefacts: small mug, products made of copper – bracelet, blade of a dagger, five tongues, bone fabricator, flint tools and blanks. It is probably a tomb from the beginning of the Bronze Age, which can be related to the early phase of the Mierzanowice culture. The inventory of the grave indicate the importance and rank of the buried man.

Funerary archaeology at Salut (Oman) 2017-2018 : insights on Middle Bronze Age grave's architecture and a possible new type of third millennium grave

Purchase online the PDF of Funerary archaeology at Salut (Oman) 2017-2018 : insights on Middle Bronze Age grave's architecture and a possible new type of third millennium grave, Tagliamonte, Enrica,Degli Esposti, Michele,Ramorino, Philip,Spano, Simona - Pisa University Press - Article

The Social Role of Non-metal ‘Valuables’ in Late Bronze Age Britain

Bronze Age metal objects are widely viewed as markers of wealth and status. Items of other materials, such as jet, amber and glass, tend either to be framed in similar terms as ‘prestige goods’, or to be viewed as decorative trifles of limited research value. In this paper, we argue that such simplistic models dramatically underplay the social role and ‘agentive’ capacities of objects. The occurrence of non-metal ‘valuables’ in British Early Bronze Age graves is well-documented, but their use during the later part of the period remains poorly understood. We will examine the deposition of objects of amber, jet and jet-like materials in Late Bronze Age Britain, addressing in particular their contexts and associations as well as patterns of breakage to consider the cultural meanings and values ascribed to such items and to explore how human and object biographies were intertwined. These materials are rarely found in burials during this period but occur instead on settlements, in hoards and caves. In many cases, these finds appear to have been deliberately deposited in the context of ritual acts relating to rites of passage. In this way, the role of such objects as social agents will be explored, illuminating their changing significance in the creation of social identities and systems of value.

The Corpse in the Early Bronze Age. Results of Histotaphonomic and Archaeothanatological Investigations of Human Remains from the Cemetery of Franzhausen I, Lower Austria

It has recently been suggested by British archaeologists and anthropologists that mummification may have been widespread in Bronze Age Europe. This article presents the results of a study that, for the first time, investigates the question of whether the people who inhabited central Europe during the Early Bronze Age treated the bodies of their dead prior to deposition in order to prevent decay and preserve the soft tissue. The study relies on data from the cemetery of Franzhausen I in Lower Austria. The cemetery, excavated between 1981 and 1983, contained 714 Early Bronze Age graves and two pits with human remains. A sample of 22 skeletons from 22 graves was investigated using macroscopic, post-hoc archaeothanatological, and histotaphonomic analyses. Thin sections of the femora of 18 out of 22 individuals show high degrees of microbial tunnelling resulting from extensive putrefaction processes. Thin sections of femora from four individuals show less bioerosion indicating that the microbial invasion accompanying autolysis and decomposition was arrested at an early stage of the taphonomic process. Since the femora of these four individuals are partially discoloured green we lean towards the assumption that the good preservation of the internal bone microstructure was caused by a post-depositional uptake of heavy metals eroding from copper and bronze grave goods, mediated by a coffin environment.

A geochemical study of bitumen residues on ceramics excavated from Early Bronze age graves (3000–2900 BCE) at Başur Höyük in SE Turkey

Eight black residues, scraped from outer surfaces of painted ceramics, unearthed from graves 1–3 at Başur Höyük (SE Turkey), were analysed by geochemical techniques in order to characterize bitumens and to try to identify their source. Ceramics are dated from the Early Bronze period (3100–2900 BCE). The black organic matter was indeed identified as bitumen, but its source has not been discovered despite its comparison with several oil seeps from the area. The bitumen at Başur Höyük does not match the bitumens analyzed at Kavuşan Höyük, Salat Höyük, Hakemi Use and Kuriki Höyük which are Cretaceous in origin and likely imported from the Eruh tars deposit. The stable carbon isotope values of their asphaltene fraction suggest a Silurian origin, however the occurrence of the 18α(H)-oleanane emphasized a younger source, i.e. Tertiary or Cretaceous. Our interpretation favours the mixture of two oils, a Silurian age and a Tertiary-Cretaceous age. This mixture may occur geologically, due to the uptake of a Tertiary signal by a Silurian oil along its migration route to the surface. It may also be a consequence of human activity carried out by the inhabitants at the mortuary ceremony where the bituminous mixture has been applied to ceramics, prior to their deposit in the graves. The oil seep character of the archaeological bitumen at Başur Höyük and the lack of obvious oxidation suggest the following explanation: freshly collected oil seeps were splashed on ceramics as ritual practices and the tarry potteries were then buried and therefore sealed. The fast burial prevented the bitumen from any oxidative alteration.

Virtual Bodies in Ritual Procession — Digital co-production for actors and interpreters of the past

This article will present and discuss the process of digital co-production and audiences' responses to the full-scale interactive, gestural, visual and musical experience of a Virtual Reality arts play. This was inspired by cist-slab images from the Kivik Grave, which is Sweden's most famous Bronze Age grave. The aim of the VR arts play was to use digital technology to engage users as time-travellers and participants in a ritual and sensory experience. The play was part of the exhibition Petroglyphics — Virtual Rock-Carvings Experiences at Osterlens Museum, the culture historical museum of Simrishamn, Southern Sweden (May 2013-December 2014). By physically taking part in the artistic imaginary performance of a burial ceremony depicted on one of the stone slabs inside the tomb, the museum visitor was invited to contribute to the interpretative process of Bronze Age imagery. Arising from this digital pilot project and research experiment, followed by an audience study involving over 250 museum visitors, this article first discusses the process, challenges and opportunities of digital co-production in an exhibition context, when archaeological, technological and artistic skills are combined in order to explore new ways to engage a museum audience. The focus then moves on to consider what interpretative processes look like when digital co-production intersects the physical participation of museum visitors. One of the major results is that 94% of surveyed museum visitors, adults as well as children, stated that digital technology combined with art that engages the user's body opens up new forms of knowledge and audience experiences. Furthermore, this study reveals that a full-body, interactive and multisensory experience with virtual space stimuli has the potential to involve several museum visitors, emotionally awaking feelings of identification prompted by specific archaeological findings, and nurturing vivid, individual interpretative processes in relation to visitors' own social, historical and cultural references and former experiences. (Less)

A Bronze Age Grave Discovered at Tepe Foroudgah, Iran: An Anthropological and Palaeopathological Study

The first aim to study skeletal remains is to recognize and answer the human differences, sex, stature and demography. The next, and important reason, is skeletal palaeopathology. It examines remained bones and teeth to show dead reasons and find out the environmental diseases in ancient times. The result of this study illustrates re-establishment of ancient society and gives the main key for discussion and conclusion. This article focuses on remained bones, found from the first season of excavation, on Tepe Foroudgah, Khorramabad-Iran, in September 2014. This site is located among three prehistoric sites with almost 3 to 4 kilometers away from each other. No reports from those archaeological excavations have been issued on human skeletal remains so far. Tepe Foroudgah yielded human skeletal remains for the first time amongst them and from this point of view, the study of the found bones was put in the first job of excavation reports to answers many questions such as the reason of finding human skeleton, its identity, the reason of death, sex and age. Hence, this article tries to give a new light on Iranian ancient population in Western parts. Further, this article will focus on age and sex determination, human discrepancies and it will describe these main questions as well. General views and analysis on palaeopathologies show the stresses and lesions of individual. Therefore, the reason of individual death is discussed here. The methodology applied is based on current and standard studies methods in Physical Anthropology. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p259

Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. Edited by Ann Woodward and John Hunter. 310 mm. Pp 616, 41 col figs, 7 maps, 26 charts, 158 tables, appendices, cd. Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia, 2015. isbn 9781782976943. £80 (hbk).

Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. Edited by Ann Woodward and John Hunter. 310 mm. Pp 616, 41 col figs, 7 maps, 26 charts, 158 tables, appendices, cd. Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia, 2015. isbn 9781782976943. £80 (hbk). - Volume 96

Ann Woodward & John Hunter (ed.). Ritual in Early Bronze Age grave goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. 2015. xiii+578 pages, numerous colour and b&w illustrations, tables and CD. Oxford: Oxbow; 978-1-78297-694-3 hardback £80.

Ann Woodward & John Hunter (ed.). Ritual in Early Bronze Age grave goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. 2015. xiii+578 pages, numerous colour and b&w illustrations, tables and CD. Oxford: Oxbow; 978-1-78297-694-3 hardback £80.

Des dalles ornées durant le Campaniforme et l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne : mythe ou réalité ?

Il est plus ou moins acquis depuis les travaux de P. Du Chatellier qu’il existe une forme d’art à l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne dont les représentations se limiteraient à quelques dalles ornées de cupules et autres motifs simples, opinion défendue par J. Briard mais combattue par C. Burgess. Afin d’y voir plus clair, nous avons repris cette question sans a priori en nous limitant géographiquement à la Bretagne. En premier lieu, nous avons réuni le corpus des dalles ornées découvertes en contexte campaniforme ou Bronze et avons intégré celles issues de contextes probables et possibles. La moisson est plutôt maigre puisque ce sont seulement douze sépultures et un habitat qui ont livré des dalles en contexte certain du Campaniforme ou de l’âge du Bronze ancien, auxquels s’ajoutent onze cas plus incertains. Ces dalles ornées (à cupules ou à représentations figuratives) sont toutes en situation de réemploi selon des modalités variées. Les surfaces gravées sont généralement tournées vers l’extérieur mais aussi cachées vers l’intérieur des sépultures. Ces pierres décorées peuvent être réutilisées telles quelles, cassées ou réaménagées. En second lieu, la confrontation avec le corpus des dalles à cupules des sépultures néolithiques ne permet pas de dégager des types ou des agencements de cupules propres à l’âge du Bronze. On peut donc difficilement soutenir l’idée d’un développement de l’art des cupules à cette période en Bretagne ; ce qu’infirme d’ailleurs le nombre écrasant de dalles à cupules en contexte néolithique. Une large part de ces pierres ornées réutilisées dans les sépultures de l’âge du Bronze pourrait bien provenir d’affleurement à cupules ou de monuments néolithiques, comme l’attestent par ailleurs le réemploi de certaines représentations clairement néolithiques (figures anthropomorphes, haches emmanchées). Cependant, un lot de quatre dalles à cupules se distingue par leur perforation, inédite dans l’art mégalithique néolithique, et des figurations de cupules et de formes géométriques reliées entre elles, alors que les signes gravés néolithiques sont généralement placés côte à côte. Les auteurs proposent d’attribuer ce petit ensemble à l’âge du Bronze ancien, voire au Néolithique final. À cela s’ajoutent six petites dalles à cupules, découvertes sur l’habitat de Beg ar Loued comme dans le tumulus de Cruguel ; leur support modeste paraît être une originalité de l’âge du Bronze.

An AMS dated late Bronze Age grave from the mound necropolis at Paulje

The subject of the paper is a closed entity - an incineration grave from northwest Serbia, dated to the developed Bronze Age, with an absolute date obtained by AMS (Accelerator mass spectrometry). The sample was taken from the wooden support on which the urn with the bones of the deceased and bronze jewellery was placed. The date obtained corresponds to the 14th century B.C. and confirms earlier proposed suppositions concerning the chronological determination of the necropolises from the territory of Jadar, Podgorina and Lower Podrinje.