Bronze Age Tombs Research Articles

유·소아묘를 통해 본 청동기시대 귀속지위의 출현과 양상

Infant and children’s tombs are recognized as the decisive basis for the emergence of attribution status in society after the early Iron Age. On the other hand, in the Bronze Age, little research has been conducted on the appearance or meaning of infant and child tombs. However, even in the Bronze Age, the number of human bones of infants is increasing. The Bronze Age tombs were built for one person in the same way as adult tombs, and there is no discrimination in the layout and the burial of relics compared to adult tombs. Therefore, the existence of infants and children with high status is assumed. Most of the tombs where the human bones of infants and children were excavated are small. This is consistent with previous studies, and it is thought that the possibility of small tombs being infants and children has increased. As the existence of infant and children’s tombs became clear, the possibility that the status of attribution appeared even in the Bronze Age increased. However, it is thought that the status of attribution in the Bronze Age was not completed as in society after the early Iron Age. Nevertheless, it can be seen as evidence of the beginning of structural complaints. In other words, the structural inequality that has intensified since the early Iron Age is the result of the explosion of social discrimination that has been strengthened throughout the Bronze Age. The beginning was the emergence of a status of attribution that allowed the construction of infants and children's tombs.

Bronze Age tomb from the cemetery of Sasunik

The Sasunik cemetery is located near the village of Sasunik, in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. One hundred ninety-four tombs with Bronze and Early Iron Age materials were discovered in the cemetery. This article presents the only Early Bronze Age tomb found in the cemetery of Sasunik.

Study on the Characteristics of Rituals at Bronze Age Tombs in the Lower Reaches of the Geum River

본고에서는 금강하류지역 청동기시대 묘제의 제사·의례적 성격에 대하여, 당지 고인돌문화와의 상관성 및 유사한 성격을 보이는 주변 지역과의 비교를 통해, 당시 사회의 묘제에 반영된 신앙과 상장의례의 규범성 즉, 묘제 전통의 형성과정-패턴화라는 측면에서 살펴보았다. 첫째, 금강하류지역 청동기시대 묘제에 반영된 당시 사회의 신앙관과 제사·의례체계의 일면을 고찰하여 당지 고인돌문화와의 상관성문제를 검토하였다. 그 결과 고인돌과 송국리형묘제가 공존하는 송국리 사회의 분묘구역에서 각 묘제의 배치와 상호 관계는 성소내 구조물의 기능적 공간배치로 이해하였다. 둘째, 그러한 송국리 사회의 묘제 전통은 요동과 서북한지역에서 선행되었던 정신문화적 공감대—시조신앙 모티브 공유—의 확장성에 기반한 것으로 본다. 다만 여러 형태의 묘제가 공존하는 복합 분묘구역으로의 성장은 오히려 호서지역 전기문화의 지역적 개성이 발현된 결과로 파악한다. 그것은 시대적 전환기, 시조신앙에 기반하여 사회 안정화를 모색한 송국리 사회 리더들의 전략적 선택으로 이해된다. 요동-서북한-호서지역에 선 구축되었던 고인돌적 전통에 기반하여, 공통의 조상신을 강조하는 방식으로서 금강하류지역 송국리 사회의 묘제 전통이 중축된 것으로 본다.

Survey methods and biases in the Al‐Mudhaybi Regional Survey, Sultanate of Oman

AbstractThe Al‐Mudhaybi Regional Survey uses different methods to reconstruct the diachronic development of the archaeological landscape within a 930 km2 area. This article evaluates the different outcomes of remote sensing, ground‐truthing and systematic field‐walking of transects regarding the type and chronological range of structures found. Additionally, it considers the impact of the geological background on the presence/absence of structures and finds. Through these surveys, it will be demonstrated that, first, while above‐ground, solid constructions like Early Bronze Age tombs are easily spotted during remote sensing, smaller, often below‐ground tombs of other periods and domestic architecture of any (pre‐Late Islamic) date were only identified in the field. Second, Umm an‐Nar and Iron Age structures and finds tend to be clustered in a few spots, while remains of other periods, especially the Hafit, are more dispersed. Third, there are different location choices over time regarding the geological background of structures.

Newly discovered Early and Middle Bronze Age tombs in Shirak, Armenia

The article is dedicated to the study of tomb materials accidentally discovered during excavations in the Shirak region in recent years. The first is the tomb excavated in the area of Azatan village, which is comparable in structure and materials to the complexes of the first stage of the Early Bronze Age, such as the tombs of Talin and Jrvezh, which date back to the third quarter of the 4th millennium BC. The other partially destroyed tomb is located in Ashotsk, the materials of which belong to the Early Kurgan and Trialeti (Tṙełk‘)-Vanadzor cultures. The materials of Azatan tomb are widening our knowledge of the poorly studied Trialeti-Vanadzor culture in Shirak. Of similar significance is the tomb of Aregnadem belonging to the terminal stage of the Trialeti-Vanadzor culture. Thus, the materials of the above-mentioned tombs complement the source basis for the study of different stages of the Early to Middle Bronze Age in Shirak.

Palaepaphos-Teratsoudhia Tomb 288 (c. 1650 BC–c. 1200 BC)

This paper presents a new tomb complex of the Late Bronze Age at Palaepaphos-Teratsoudhia in south-west Cyprus. Although looted, Tomb 288 yielded a representative repertoire of funerary gifts, including seals and scarabs, ranging chronologically from the very beginning of the Late Bronze Age to Late Cypriote IIC, roughly from 1650 to 1200 BC. Tomb 288 has characteristics which are typical of Late Bronze Age tomb architecture in Cyprus and well known in the Paphos region, as well as aspects which have not previously been observed in any necropolis of the period, such as the large central “pillars” which support the roof in Chambers A and B. The tomb’s finds comprise representative examples of the ceramic production of Palaepaphos for a period of some 400 years and illustrate the wealth of this region during the whole of the Late Bronze Age. The tomb is a significant addition, in particular, to our knowledge of the earliest phase of the city’s existence, a period which is not adequately known since the focus of recent research has primarily been on the latest phase of the Late Bronze Age and the early part of the Iron Age.

The Characteristics and Development of Bronze Age Tombs in the Hoseo Region

The Characteristics and Development of Bronze Age Tombs in the Hoseo Region

Cultural Attribution of Early Bronze Age Tombs Under Kurgans in Azerbaijan

This study focuses on the cultural attribution of a distinct category of Early Bronze Age burials in the eastern piedmont of the Lesser Caucasus, northwestern Azerbaijan, known as “tombs under kurgans” or “kurgans with collective burials in tombs”. There was an opinion that such burials belong to the early period of the Kura-Araxes (or proto-Kura-Araxes) culture. To test this idea, we analyzed ceramics from tombs under kurgans at Shadyly, Uzun-Rama, and Mentesh-Tepe, all of which have radiocarbon dates. Results suggest that the vessels are hand-made, their paste contains no organic temper, and they are a coarse imitation of the Uruk ceramics. This tradition is unrelated to the Kura-Araxes culture, marked by a handmade red-and-black burnished pottery. Also, at the highly developed stage of the Kura-Araxes in any of its local versions, collective burials in tombs were not practiced. Thus, before the emergence of the Kuro-Araxes culture in the Southern Caucasus, there was a population practicing the tradition of kurgans with collective burials in tombs. The origin of this tradition is a contentious matter. What we know only is that it emerged in the 34th century BC and disappeared around the 31st–30th centuries BC, following the Kura-Araxes expansion in the Southern Caucasus.

Проблема культурной идентификации подкурганных склепов раннего бронзового века на территории Азербайджанской Республики

Проблема культурной идентификации подкурганных склепов раннего бронзового века на территории Азербайджанской Республики

Migrants and trade spiced up Canaanite metropolis.

Looming over a strategic spot on Israel9s northern coastal plain, the ancient city of Megiddo was often a battleground, befitting its biblical name Armageddon. But in two Bronze Age tombs, archaeologists are finding signs that, nearly 3500 years ago, Megiddo was also a surprisingly cosmopolitan place. It drew immigrants from the area of what is now Armenia and apparently imported exotic spices like vanilla from tropical climes. The tombs also revealed insight into state-of-the-art medical practices and care in the era.

A survey of Late Bronze Age funerary archaeology over the last 25 years in the central and southern Aegean

This contribution offers a brief survey of funerary archaeology undertaken in the central and southern Aegean over the course of the last 25 years. Major construction projects and salvage and systematic excavations have brought to light some 1,700 new Late Bronze Age tombs (i.e. 27% of the extant corpus). Despite these discoveries, however, very few tombs have received a final publication and few of these projects are context driven. New data are and will continue to be desirable – but it is the quality of the recording of these data, our research questions and the careful application of new methodologies, during and after excavation, that will open up new interpretative avenues and debates. With the number of secure archaeological contexts dwindling fast, not least because of the constant threat of looting, developing new approaches (for example understanding site formation and episodes of use) is crucial if we are to recover as much as possible and advance our knowledge of the multivalent roles played by burials within ancient societies.

Excavations at Late Bronze Age tombs of Lori Berd

During the 2007-2008 field season seven tombs were excavated at Lori Berd. Four of these date to the end of the Late Bronze Age. One of the largest tombs (Tomb 81) of the site is located nearly in the centre of the cemetery, 70 m south of the Stepanavan-Lori Berd road. The oval (13.5 × 6.1 m) burial mound was composed of stones and soil, measured 0.6 m high. The centre was slightly sunken: it had a flat surface, and was oriented to the northwest – southeast. Sixteen large slabs forming the false vaulted roof of the burial chamber were discovered 0.2 – 0.4 m below the grass-covered mound. The four central stones were placed in the horizontal position, while the parameter stones were leaning towards the chamber.

Middle Bronze Age Burials in the Southern Levant: Spartan Warriors or Ordinary People?

Summary Intermediate and Middle Bronze Age tombs with weapons (mainly daggers) in the southern Levant were often interpreted as ‘warrior graves’. Taking into consideration new data from Rishon Le-Zion (Israel), recent work on early warfare and warriors, and a study of so-called ‘warrior graves’ in Mesopotamia (Rehm 2003), we suggest that most of these graves are not graves of elite warriors, but typical male burials. We also discuss the assumed ‘burial kit’ and the decline in numbers of weapons per burial, which is in our view related to the shift from individual burials (in the Intermediate Bronze and Middle Bronze IIA periods) to multiple shaft burials (in the Middle Bronze IIB period).

The Development of Social Structure and Subsistence Strategy in Prehistoric Korea

Many studies on subsistence strategies in prehistoric age have been presented, which explained neolithic age fishing and bronze age agricultures with accompanying pottery styles and tool industries. But they need more detailed analysis of artefacts and ecofacts, and theoretical approaches to subsistence skills. Based on the structure of Bronze Age house, the transition from multi-families to nuclear family housing have been asserted to be the results of intensive agriculture. This is also needed to figure out and connect the other life styles and practices with those housing in that period. Bronze age villages in Southern Korea has been identified to include public squares, communal storages, and ritual facilities according to many intensive excavations. Also several styles of dolmens, which were constructed by abundant labors, have been identified in many sites. Those settlments and tombs has been asserted to prove the formation of the early chiefdoms. A large amount of bronze tools and accessories made by a few professional craftsmen, which buried in the elite graves of the early iron age have been thought to explained the existence of late chiefdoms. But archaeological data and explanation methodology in Korea are still not enough to describe the nature of societies in relation with them. The bronze and iron age tombs of north eastern China and Korea have been studied for figuring out the historical Old Choseon and Jinguk Polities. This also require a variety of analysis and interpretation methods of archaeological data, as well as the in-depth justaposition of the early historical records and archaeological data.

Assessing life history from commingled assemblages: the biogeochemistry of inter-tooth variability in Bronze Age Arabia

Stable isotopes represent a remarkable means of assessing the life histories of individuals in the archaeological record, primarily by taking advantage of multiple skeletal tissues that form and remodel throughout life. However, this methodological tool also has the potential to provide crucial information on the life histories of individuals represented only by commingled, fragmentary, and otherwise isolated human skeletal remains, particularly when more traditional methods of evaluation are not possible. In this study, a sequential analysis of radiogenic strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and stable oxygen (δ18O) isotopes of associated molars from the in situ mandibular or maxillary fragments of 19 commingled individuals from multiple Bronze Age tombs in the United Arab Emirates was undertaken in order to examine temporal changes in mobility at the level of the individual. The majority of individuals display little difference in inter-tooth isotope ratios, suggesting a general lack of residential mobility between early childhood and late adolescence, an unexpected result given abundant evidence (artifactual and written) for a population actively engaged in both regional and interregional trade in the third millennium BC. However, two individuals from the Emirate of Fujairah demonstrate disparate inter-tooth 87Sr/86Sr values – likely indicative of some migration event – which calls into question the supposed cultural isolation of the region during the second millennium BC.

Regional Characteristics and Bronze Age Tombs of South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province

This study compared and reviewed Bronze Age tombs in South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province where a number of dolmens are distributed and the largest number of Bronze Age tombs were excavated and investigated recently and examined the regional characteristics and meanings of the tombs.<BR> The areas were divided into 6 zones based on mountain ranges and river courses, and each zone showed the regional characteristics of tombs. The Yeongsan River Valley Zone and the East Zone of South Gyeongsang Province showed relatively distinguished characteristics, and the East Zone of South Jeolla Province and the West Zone of South Gyeongsang Province in the middle showed differences but also interrelatedness due to continuous exchange along the south coast.<BR> It appeared that the concept of prestige goods was different in each zone. For instance, the rank between tombs is distinguished to a degree by prestige goods in the East Zone of South Jeolla Province but it is rather the size of the tomb that indicates the rank in the South Gyeongsang Province.<BR> On the other hand, there is a consistent difference in the relationship between each dolmen group and settlement. In other words, a dolmen group is matched with an individual settlement in many cases in South Jeolla Province where there are many dolmens whereas a dolmen group is matched with a number of settlements in South Gyeongsang Province where there are relatively less dolmens.<BR> In relation to this, the difference in hierarchical structure was also shown. In South Jeolla Province where there are many dolmens, the strata of ranks of persons buried in dolmens varies more or less greater. The statuses of persons varied in dolmens in South Gyeongsang Province where there are relatively less number of dolmens were estimated to be higher than those in South Jeolla Province, and the status of stone coffin tomb groups which keep a certain distance to dolmen groups appeared to be subordinate to dolmen groups.

LACONIAN AND MESSENIAN PLAQUES WITH SEATED FIGURES: THE SOCIO-POLITICAL DIMENSION

The characteristic terracotta plaques with seated figures accompanied by snakes were created for local use, as they are hardly ever found outside Laconia and Messenia. They served a type of cult, the heroic, as shown by both their widespread distribution in this region and their complete absence from divine sanctuaries. Their generalised and standardised iconography made them versatile offerings that could be used in various contexts, with the seated figure acquiring the identity of the locally honoured hero in a specific sanctuary setting. Distribution patterns also show variety. In Laconia, plaque findspots show this type of offering was favoured much more in the region inhabited by thehomoioi. By contrast, the Messenian plaques, offered both at Bronze Age tombs and at urban sanctuaries, must have been dedicated primarily by perioikoi. The similarities between Laconian and Messenian types of plaques need not be correlated with the contested ethnic identity of the Messenians. Rather, they should be attributed to the flexibility and variety in their use. The Messenian cults that attracted plaque dedications honoured heroes not necessarily because they were Achaean, but because they were celebrated local mythical or historical figures. Creating a link with the past through heroes was a well-established way to articulate a strong local and communal, but not necessarily ethnic, identity.

An early bronze age tomb near Khorramabad (W-Iran) Herzfeld's Gilviran revisited

Ernst Herzfeld made mention of the discovery in 1928 of a Bronze Age tomb at Gilviran, some 5 km from Khorramabad in Luristan. He discussed the site briefly and illustrated some of the finds; two of the bronze vases were later acquired by the British Museum. Since it was one of the few tombs in Pish-i Kuh, Luristan on which some reliable information was known, the Gilviran discovery is mentioned in most studies on Luristan. Nevertheless, little more than a description and a few illustrations of some of the finds were available. A more complete picture of the Gilviran tomb is now presented based on Herzfeld's original notes and the identification of a preserved section of the tomb on the outskirts of present day Khorramabad.

The funeral kit: mortuary practices in the archaeological record

Studies of mortuary archaeology tend to focus on difference-how the researcher can identify age, gender, status, and ethnicity from the contents of a burial. Jill L. Baker's innovative approach begins from the opposite point: how can you recognize the commonalities of a culture from the that occurs in all burials, irrespective of status differences? And what do those commonalities have to say about the world view and religious beliefs of that culture? Baker begins with the Middle and Late Bronze Age tombs in the southern Levant, then expands her scope in ever widening circles to create a general model of the funeral kit of use to archaeologists in a wide variety of cultures and settings. The volume will be of equal value to specialists in Near Eastern archaeology and those who study mortuary remains in ancient cultures worldwide.

Comment on the Analysis of Two Skeletons from Terqa, Syria

ABSTRACTRecently, a report on two human skeletons from an Early Bronze Age tomb excavated at Tell Ashara, Syria has been published in International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. One individual was identified as a warrior following these criteria: (i) size and robustness of bones, (ii) cut marks on the humerus, (iii) reduction of the ulnar styloid process, both interpreted as healed weapon‐related trauma, (iv) well‐developed muscle insertions, and (v) degenerative joint disease. Actually, none of these five criteria support the conclusion because of the following reasons: (i) not necessarily all tall and robust men become warriors, (ii) the post mortem origin of cut marks on the humerus is more likely than sharp force trauma, (iii) there are several possible causes of the unusual ulnar styloid shape other than weapon‐related trauma, (iv) the interpretation of musculoskeletal stress markers and (v) degenerative joint disease lacked control for age, sex and body size. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.