Funerary Research Articles

한반도 남부지역 삼국시대 토기생산의 비교

It was understood that pottery production developed into a hierarchical organization with the expansion of mass production and distribution. In this study, we will try to compare and review the changes in the pottery production organization in Honam and Yeongnam regions, which have been integrated into different political groups.
 During the Three Kingdoms Period, a database of kilns was established to establish four types of kilns. The type and consumption of production pottery were inferred for each type to confirm production and distribution. Type A and B pottery kilns produced utilitarian pottery with villages as their main consumption sites, but there are differences in size and location. Type C mainly produces burial pottery and can define the main consumption site as an ancient tomb. Type D is a production area where large-scale kiln, it was located outside the center of each political body at the time to meet the demand for pottery.
 In the early days of the Three Kingdoms period, type A and B coexist, and type C and D emerge as political groups in each region grow. In particular, there is a clear difference between C type in Yeongnam and B type in Honam. In the Yeongnam, a tradition of burial rituals called the mass burial of pottery was formed, affecting production. In the Honam, it could be seen that a large change in the pottery production organization was closely related to the appearance of the central village. Depending on the region, the nature of the main consumer site and the type of demand show a distinct difference. It is confirmed that different types coexist and the difference in proportion varies depending on the time, not the single-line development of mass production in a small scale.

How funerals mediate the psycho-social impact of grief: Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses to a national survey in Japan

BackgroundAs populations age and pandemics continue, grief disrupts the health and productivity of increasingly bereaved populations. While funerals can reconnect old friends and relations to provide psycho-social support, and satisfying funeral participation reportedly reduces such psychiatric complications of grief, the psychological effects of recent restrictions on funerals remains unclear. This first English report of open-ended responses to a Japan-wide survey sheds some light on this by looking at Japanese psychological reflections on their funerals. ObjectivesTo determine what aspects of funerals the Japanese bereaved feel psycho-socially valuable or conversely problematic, and for what reasons. SettingData were collected using anonymized all-Japan postal surveys from 2019 to 2020. Participants288 recently-bereaved chief mourners submitted 353 open-ended responses discussing their experiences and feelings about the funerals they conducted. MethodAnonymized data were divided into positive, regrets, vacillations, and negative comments about the subjects most frequently cited. ResultsMost commonly cited were funeral directors (64), attendees (56), ritual/ceremony (49), and the need for (pre-)planning (40). Respondents profoundly appreciated funeral directors' support, and regretted not having planned better or invited more people to the funeral. Dissatisfaction tended to focus on unexplained expenses and mistakes or offenses in rituals. Many also criticized their doctors for not realistically forecasting their loved ones' demise. ConclusionsResponses validated that responsive funeral directors can significantly support their clients through early acute grief, and that inviting more celebrants to a full funeral facilitates psycho-social support and may obviate future regrets. Rituals too provide memorable means to help survivors deal with grief. Medical professionals should psychologically encourage terminal patients' families to communicate while patients are still coherent; families are strongly advised to discuss funeral plans with their elders before the end of life.

Last Honors and Life Experiences of Bereaved Families in the Context of COVID-19 in Kashmir: A Qualitative Inquiry About Exclusion, Family Trauma, and Other Issues.

This study examined the changing character of the last honours of those who died of COVID-19 in Kashmir and the life experiences of the families of the deceased. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect information from 21 participants. Using qualitative data analysis approaches, five key themes were identified vis-à-vis the impact of COVID-19 on burial rituals and customs; effects on bereaved families, shades of grief, bereavement care, community response, and coping with loss. Based on examining the pandemic-induced changes related to customs and rituals around death, the study found that the bereaved family members were in danger of marginalization, economic burdens, psychological traumas, and overall reduced quality of life. This study would be a credible addition to the existing literature on death practices as there is a shortage of research on funeral rituals during the post-pandemic period in Kashmir.

Gendering Death: A Study of Oppressive Stereotypes Underlying Muslim Funeral and Burial Rituals in Egypt

This research explores how Muslim funeral and burial rituals in Egypt are shaped by gender stereotypes and socio-cultural norms that predispose masculinity and femininity. It examines the experience of research participants in the context of these gendered rituals and how it affects their participation in them. I adopt a qualitative methodology using personal narrative and auto-ethnography. Analysing physical and emotional experiences, I assess how the regulation of female bodies impacts women participants’ understanding of their bodies. Gender stereotypes, such as the association of women with irrationality, are scrutinised in regards to how they influence ritual and ceremonial practices – such as sex segregation – and in turn affect the emotional experiences of participant women. Furthermore, I address the performativity of masculinity imposed by the ceremonies and assert that Muslim burial and funeral rituals are a norm, a form of power demarcated by gender stereotypes. The gendered nature of the rituals shapes our experiences as males and females, rendering it unequal.

Immersive virtual reality for the fruition of ancient contexts: The case of the archaeological and Naturalistic Park of Santa Maria d’Agnano in Ostuni

The work presents Agnano RiVive, an immersive Virtual Reality application developed to be used within the Museum of Preclassical Civilizations of the Southern Murgia in Ostuni, which preserves the findings of the Archaeological and Naturalistic Park of Santa Maria di Agnano. The application gives the user the possibility to explore the Upper Paleolithic settlement and interact with the old manufacts. The goal is to conduct the user to assist in the burial ritual of Ostuni 1, the world's oldest mother found in this site. A fundamental element is the paleoenvironment representation made possible by archaeobotanical studies. User experience was evaluated by submitting the Presence Questionnaire to 25 users. The results showed high levels of Involvement and Visual/Audio Fidelity and a strong correlation between them. Starting from this preliminary work, we propose to expand language and content to make the application educational and attractive to all types of Museum visitors.

Medieval Burials at Ryabchikov Klyuch-1, the Kansk-Rybinsk Basin

Previously, burials at Ryabchikov Klyuch-1 on the Kan River near Kansk were dated to the Late Middle Ages (pre-Russian period) and attributed to an autochthonous group. In 2015, two burials were discovered at the cemetery, with the remains of an adolescent girl and a child. A comprehensive analysis of the burial rite and grave goods suggests that the burials date to the 12th century. Numerous archaeological and ethnographic parallels were found. Morphologically, the girl’s cranium reveals generally eastern traits, specifically those common in Western Siberian (Uralic and Ob-Irtysh) populations. The cranium was restored, and a graphical reconstruction of the face was made. Burial practices of the 17th–19th century Middle Kan populations are described. They were Ket-speaking Kotts, Turkic-speaking Karagas, and Samoyed-speaking Kamasins. The analysis of sources suggests that the buried people were likely ancestors of the Kotts.

БАТЫСҚАЗАҚСТАНДАҒЫКЕЙІНГІ САРМАТ МӘДЕНИЕТІНЕ ТӘН ЖЕРЛЕУ ҒҰРПЫ

The article presents statistical materials on the funeral rite of the nomadic population living on the territory of modern Western Kazakhstan in the second half of the 2nd–4thcenturies AD, which are united into a singleLateSarmatian culture. In total, more than two hundred objects were taken into account in the sample. According to external features, regional features are distinguished for theLateSarmatian monuments of the Jaiyk and Mugaljar river basins. In particular, according to the location in the burial complexes of peculiar and at the same time unique “П”-shaped and “dumbbell-shaped” structures and some elements of the funeral rite. At the same time, theLateSarmatian monuments of both local regions retain their common diagnostic signs, manifested in the form of a grave pit, the orientation of the backbone to the northern sector, the deformation of the cranial vault and a stable set of funeral equipment. These objects were used as a specific burial rite, religious-ritual burial, or only for religious purposes.

A Unique Form of Ritualism of the Early Medieval Population of Sambia

Three decades ago, the author of these paper excavated a number of burials at the Dollkeim/Kovrovo-1 soil burial ground (Zelenogradsky district, Kaliningrad region). At the beginning of the summer of 1981, under an agreement with the Kaliningradmelioratsia Association, the Baltic Expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences carried out excavations at the burial ground, part of which fell under the laying of reclamation pipes. After the completion of the excavation work, the author of these lines described a variant of the rituals of the Prussians of the early Middle Ages, unknown until then. It was presented as an inhumation on a wooden platform, named option “a” and was interpreted as a possible transition from cremation to inhumation burial. This variant “a” was presented only at five complexes of the Dollkeim/Kovrovo-1 burial ground. Since then, new data have been received on the funeral rituals of the population of Sambia in the post-Viking era, which allows us to return to the problem of the special form of burials at the Dollkeim/Kovrovo-1 burial ground. All the burials found on eastern outskirts of the Kovrovo settlement were created practically according to a single standard. The deceased tribesman was placed by his relatives on a platform made of wood and resting on stakes. Funerary food was laid on the platform in circular vessels, the fragments of which were subsequently subjected to secondary firing. After the installation of the platform was completed, it was burned. Concerning the situation with burial K2, after the combustion had been completed, its remains were raked to the side and the place of burning could be used repeatedly. As analogies from Western Lithuania show, excavations in 1981 at the Dollkeim/Kovrovo-1 burial ground unearthed a form of burial ritual that was Curonian in origin and survived in Sambia until the pre-Orden time. Further study of this rare form of ritualism will show the connections between the Western Baltic tribes on the threshold of order aggression.

디미뜨리에 깐떼미르(Dimitrie Cantemir)의 『몰도바 기술(記述)(Descriptio Moldaviae)』 (1714-1716) 해체하기

Even though Cantemir failed at politics in rumanian history, this failure turned into rumanian humanities. His life-long wish came true when he be came a Moldovan ruler, he attempted to be free from Ottoman Turks but failed at it and exiled to Russia. He started to write about his fatherlatiesnd, where he could not return alive .At the year of 1711 his attention and acts changed from linguistics and philosophy when in Constantinople to the annals when in Russia. 『Description on Moldova』 was written at early 18 century, but it is very valuable material in rumanian history of documents. Any scholar who studies rumanian humanities needs this document to know about ancient Dachian myths and customs. Cantemir verified this book’s value by the metaphor that history is like an clear mirror which reflects the glorious moments of history and the images of the people. The contents of this book which was written about his love for his homeland is very accurate and detailed considering his long hostaged and exiled periods. He explained the location and presence of his fatherland, Moldova by putting the geography of Moldova at the foremost part of the book to let the ignorant Europeans to know his country. He mentioned Dacian kingdom, Trajan, Dragosh repeatedly so that as a first monarch of Moldovan republic, he emphasized the identity of Moldova as a roman descendants, who were formed from the union of dacian and roman people. As he was a monarch from royal family, he stressed on the ruler’s role in monarch’s election and resignation. He also wrote about his country’s formation of the people and the important annual events and marital’ burial ceremony. He dreamt of his country’s independence by being a monarch and stabilizing it even though he was a hopeless hostage. He made a detailed description about Moldova’s state affairs and it’s people as if he had been a monarch of it for a long time. Records about Sanziene which is a main material of rumanian oral literature and Zburator which is one of the 4 major myths is essential for those scholars who study Romanian humanities. He verified his book by founding out that Moldovan(Romanian) language originated from Latin and these two languages were very similar.(Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)

An Evaluation On Decorated Female Gravestones In Mardin

Ölüm, insanoğlunun var olduğu andan itibaren yaşam döngüsünden ayırmadığı, kafa yorduğu, tanımaya ve tanımlamaya çalıştığı bir olgudur. Ölümün bir son olmadığı, ölen bireyin bu dünyadan ayrılarak başka bir aleme göç ettiğine, o alemde yaşamaya devam ettiğine inanılmıştır. Öteki dünya anlayışıyla birlikte insanlardaki ölüyü gömme ritüelleri birbirinden farklı mezar çeşitlerinin ortaya çıkmasında etkili olmuştur. İnanca bağlı olarak ortaya çıkan mezar çeşitleri ait oldukları toplumun sanat zevkini, inancını ve kültür düzeyini yansıtan önemli belgelerdir. Üzerlerinde ihtiva ettikleri başlık, yazı, figür ve nesneli bezemeleriyle yatanın cinsiyetini belirtir özelliktedirler. Erkek mezar taşlarında serpuş denilen başlık yer alırken, kadın mezar taşları daha zarif, süslü ve dönemin sanat zevkini yansıtan yoğun süsleme kompozisyonlarıyla kadının ruhunu yansıtır özelliktedirler. Binlerce yıllık geçmişi ve sayısız uygarlığın izini taşıyan Mardin, savaş ve istilalar sonucu birçok kez yakılıp, yıkılmış, mezar taşları da bu olumsuzluklardan nasibini almış ve günümüze yakın tarihli örnekler dışında gelen örnek olmamıştır. Mardin’de Muhammed Zırar (Dırar) mezarlığında 19. yüzyıl sonu ile 20. yüzyılın başına tarihlenen bezemeli kadın mezar taşlarından birkaç örnek Sanat Tarihi disiplini çerçevesinde değerlendirilmiştir. Değerlendirilmeye alınan örnekler kadın mezar taşları olup, şahideli, sandukalı ve pehle taşlı olmak üzere üç grupta tanıtılmıştır. Ele alınan örneklerin malzeme, form, teknik ve süsleme özellikleri bakımından bölge ve yurt genelindeki örneklerle benzer ve ayrılan yönlerine değinilmiştir. Sonuç kısmında ele alınan örneklerin Cizre, Savur, Nusaybin, Siirt gibi merkezlerde yer alan mezar taşlarıyla benzer form ve süsleme özelliklerine sahip oldukları tespit edilmiştir.

The Reorganization Process and Diversification of the Burial Ritual of Silla’s Maripgan Period

이 글은 적석목곽묘에서 진행되는 다양한 형태의 의례를 종합적으로 검토한 후, 신라 장송의례의 규칙성, 집단성, 상징성을 살펴보고자 한 것이다. 적석목곽묘 축조과정에서 확인되는 유물은 고분의 위계와 규모에 따라 어느 정도는 제도화되어 부장된 것으로 보이지만, 실제로 확인되는 장송의례의 상징은 매우 다양하게 확인된다. 이것은 의례를 주관하는 조묘집단을 통해 피장자의 성격, 고분의 위계, 집단의 정치적·종교적 관념에 따른 표상 전략의 결과로 파악된다. 적석목곽묘의 장송의례는 고분 축조과정에 따라 총 7단계로 파악되고, 그중에서도 매장주체부와 곽상부, 적석부, 봉토에서 확인되는 유물을 통해 매장주체부 관련 의례, 곽상부 의례, 적석부 의례, 봉토축조 관련 의례가 진행되었음을 알 수 있다. 각각의 고분에서 확인되는 의례 양상과 빈도를 검토한 결과, 적석목곽묘에서 진행되는 의례는 고분 축조과정에서 진행되는 토목공사 의례, 피장자 안녕을 위한 의례, 정치적 후계자 혹은 공동체 결속, 정치적 특권을 과시하기 위한 목적의 의례 등과 같이 상당히 다원화된 형태로 진행되었음을 추정해 볼 수 있다. 이러한 의례 중에서도 가장 특징적인 부분은 고분의 중단면에서 진행되는 납관의례로, 이때 가장 화려하고 성대한 음식공헌의례가 진행되었던 것으로 보인다. 한편, 적석목곽묘에 부장된 특별기군과 통상기군은 음식의례를 위시한 의례 재편현상을 직접적으로 살펴볼 수 있다는 점에서 주목된다. 통상기군과 특별기군을 위시한 음식의례는 신라사회에서 이루어진 의례 재편 과정 중 다양성이라는 측면에서 정점을 찍지만 5세기 후반대 이후에는 서서히 축소되고, 상대적으로 묘사가 중요시되는 모습을 보인다. 이것은 신라사회 내에서 이전단계의 음식의례 전통은 유지되고 있지만 고분의 피장자를 위한 직접적인 음식의례가 아닌 조상숭배와 권력유지를 위한 측면에서의 의례적 성격이 강화되는 것을 의미한다. 따라서 신라의 적석목곽묘에서 확인되는 의례의 다양한 양상은 특정 통치자들뿐만 아니라 지역 정치체 내 여러 집단들의 이해관계와 정통성 확보라는 측면에서 이루어진 의례 재편의 결과라 생각한다.

How prepared are people for their future? Findings from the Preparedness for the Future survey

Objective: People are living longer than ever before. Many arrive at a later stage of life in poor health and with inadequate financial and social resources. The purpose of this paper is to describe people’s general state of preparedness for their future as older persons, identify specific attitudes towards ageing and key characteristics that portend a lesser degree of preparedness, and identify the issues that need greater emphasis. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: 502 adult participants enlisted on an online polling panel in Canada. Methods: Demographics, attitudes towards the future self and ageing and the responses to the ‘Preparedness for the Future Questionnaire’ (Prep-FQ) were analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to highlight overall and domain scores (possible score 0–100). Regression models were used to link key demographic characteristics and attitudes to a lower Prep FQ score. Results: The average age of participants was 54.1 years old (range 30–91). The majority (97%) felt it was important to think about themselves as an older person, yet less than 25% of people regularly spent time thinking about what it would be like for them as an older person. The average score on the Prep FQ was 61.6 (range 25–99). Items with the lowest scores were related to advance serious illness planning (medical care, funeral and legacy planning). Factors associated with a higher Prep FQ score included being female, having more education, thinking about when they are older and feeling positive about themselves as an older person. Conclusion: Helping people think and plan ahead more for healthy ageing may help some people move forward with confidence in creating a long, high-quality life and high-quality death. Helping ‘at-risk’ people plan for serious illness in advance is a high-priority target for improving people’s general state of preparedness for the future.

Evaluations of Funerals and Health Trajectories in the Second Year After Bereavement-The Ongoing Japan National Survey.

Our nationwide postal survey analyzing 190 responses from Japanese bereaved who had responded a year earlier found that funeral dissatisfaction rose during the second year after the funeral. Controverting previous research advocating participation in funeral planning, elderly bereaved spouses forced to decide about and/or pay for the funeral showed elevated grief as much as 2years later. While not reaching levels diagnosed as prolonged, traumatic, or complicated grief, nevertheless one out of three of our bereaved sample showed continuing daily symptoms of grief from 14 to 24months after their bereavement, with continued or increasing use of tranquillizers or antidepressants. The medical and pharmaceutical costs incurred by mourners more than a year after bereavement warrant further research into what factors improve or exacerbate the health of grieving bereaved, not limited to a single year after the bereavement.

Description of the funeral ritual in Kazakh prose and ethnodeformation

The article deals with the traditions and ethnodeformations associated with the funeral, which are found in prose works of Kazakh literature. We often use the phrase “torkaly toi, toprakty olim” (solemn celebration a sorrowful death, when all burial ceremonies are performed by beautifying the dead and all close people of the deceased mourn for his/her passing) in the sense of joy and sadness. We know that each nation has its own traditions, superstitions, rituals and customs. Although any of these rituals and customs are common to the Turkic peoples, it can be noted that each nation has its own distinctive features. Over the years, both new and old traditions have been deformed and changed due to time. The initial forms of traditions and the ways they have been ethnodeformed can be seen from scientific research, from the conditions of performing rituals and traditions in fiction. To such funeral customs as farewell to the deceased, the ablution of the deceased, the preservation and protection of the corpse, the participation in the washing of the corpse, the praying for the deceased, the burial, there’re also such rituals as conveying the tragic news of the deceased to his close relatives, mourning for the deceased, expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, as well as giving memorial dinners after seven, forty, one hundred days and a year in the memory of the dead person. The article provides a definitive analysis of the significance and national cognitive features of such rituals. In particular, the relevance of the article is determined by making systematic comparisons through Mukhtar Auezov’s novel-epopee “Abai’s way”, which describes the national existence of the Kazakh people and national traditions in connection with the events.

Description of the funeral ritual in Kazakh prose and ethnodeformation

The article deals with the traditions and ethnodeformations associated with the funeral, which are found in prose works of Kazakh literature. We often use the phrase “torkaly toi, toprakty olim” (solemn celebration a sorrowful death, when all burial ceremonies are performed by beautifying the dead and all close people of the deceased mourn for his/her passing) in the sense of joy and sadness. We know that each nation has its own traditions, superstitions, rituals and customs. Although any of these rituals and customs are common to the Turkic peoples, it can be noted that each nation has its own distinctive features. Over the years, both new and old traditions have been deformed and changed due to time. The initial forms of traditions and the ways they have been ethnodeformed can be seen from scientific research, from the conditions of performing rituals and traditions in fiction. To such funeral customs as farewell to the deceased, the ablution of the deceased, the preservation and protection of the corpse, the participation in the washing of the corpse, the praying for the deceased, the burial, there’re also such rituals as conveying the tragic news of the deceased to his close relatives, mourning for the deceased, expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, as well as giving memorial dinners after seven, forty, one hundred days and a year in the memory of the dead person. The article provides a definitive analysis of the significance and national cognitive features of such rituals. In particular, the relevance of the article is determined by making systematic comparisons through Mukhtar Auezov’s novel-epopee “Abai’s way”, which describes the national existence of the Kazakh people and national traditions in connection with the events.

The results of the study conducted in 2022 at the necropolis medieval settlement Syganak

A mausoleum is a monument, a funeral building that included a chamber where the remains of the dead were placed. The Turkic peoples have built mausoleums over the graves of their dead ancestors for centuries. Mausoleums were considered the afterlife home of the dead. The erected structures make it possible to determine the social status of people buried in the mausoleum or to which class they belonged. After all, it is known that huge mausoleums were built for famous people, consisting of several rooms, with internal and external walls covered with decorative ceramics. The mausoleums had one or more burials. The graves studied and the materials found in them allow us to determine the status, outlook, way of life, traditions, religious beliefs and burial rites of the inhabitants. For this reason, in this article, we set the task of analyzing the studies conducted in 2022 at mausoleums No. 6 and No. 7 and introducing the data obtained during archaeological excavations into scientific circulation. Conducted scientific research within the framework of this topic made it possible to determine the features of mausoleums No. 6 and No. 7, construction technology and construction time. As a result of a comparative analysis with the mausoleums of this type from adjacent regions, the similarities and differences between the mausoleums of Syganak were determined. In addition, in the article we considered it appropriate to present the history of the emergence and development of mausoleums. In the article, when studying the little-studied history of the formation of mausoleums located in the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River, it is known that mausoleums arose on the basis of the ancient funeral tradition of nomadic peoples living in Central Asia.

Countless Blessings: A History of Childbirth and Reproduction in the Sahel

Countless Blessings: A History of Childbirth and Reproduction in the Sahel

원삼국~백제 한성기 중부 동ㆍ북부지역 적석분구묘의 재인식

This study aims to clearly understand the grave ceremonies of the Stone Mound Tomb in the central eastern and northern regions distributed along the Imjin and Han Rivers. The goal is to determine their structural forms, trace their lineage, and review the construction period to examine and thus re-establish the characteristics of the Stone Mound Tomb in the central eastern and northern regions. For this purpose, it was inappropriate to utilize the tomb classification system based on the traditional Goguryeo Stone Mound Tomb’s concepts of a grave and burial, which are related to the existence of a stairway. This is because these concepts do not properly capture the structural characteristics of the Stone Mound Tomb in the central eastern and northern regions. Hence, the Stone Mound Tomb was categorized into an “oval shape” and “quadrangle construction” as it was in contrast with the “rectangular type of construction” observed in Seokchon-dong, Seoul. The lineage of the tombs is not related to Goguryeo or Baekje, nor does it belong to a specific tribe called Yegye. The oval twisted-coffin type tomb representing the original tomb and burial ceremony were generated locally. Further, the rectangular burial Stone Mound Tomb type was examined as a complex type of tomb that illustrates all the elements of the square type Stone Mound Tomb in the central Baekje region and the oval tomb type in the central eastern and northern regions. Moreover, the elliptical frame type seems to have appeared in the first half of the third century and disappeared around the late fourth century. On the other hand, the rectangular type of tomb was constructed temporarily from the middle of the fourth century to the beginning of the fifth century, following the oval-shaped concentric-walled tomb. It is expected that these characteristics and dates of the Stone Mound Tomb in the central eastern and northern regions will provide new perspectives on the nature of the ancient political body in the central region and the growth process of Baekje in the future.

신라토기 경주양식 분포권과 교통로

This article started with the question of how to interpret the sub-regional style that it belongs to the earthenware culture on the east side of the Nakdong River as the product of the Silla political system. Although various interpretations are possible, the study was conducted focusing on the transportation aspect. Transportation is a factor that integrates cultures, but it is also a cause of heterogeneous cultures. As a research subject, Gyeongju-style mounted cup with double-openwork(二段透窓高杯) was selected as the typical model of the southern grave of Hwangnam grand tomb(皇南大 塚南墳). It was judged to be useful for examining the transportation network. Because it is the most widely identified within the sub-regional style. First, among the various forms in the southern grave of Hwangnam grand tomb, the unique properties that distinguish them from the surrounding sub-regional style were extracted, and their distribution range was examined. This range was compared with the distribution ranges of the iron sword with curve(曲刃鐵器), the ceremonial ornament with bird-shaped thorn(有刺異器), and ㅏ-shaped tomb(ㅏ字形古墳). The distribution range of iron wares and tomb coincided with the distribution area of Gyeongju-style earthenware, it was confirmed that these distributions correspond to the same culture in relation to burial rites. The cultural zone is centered on the transportation route of Ulsan-Gyeongju-Yeongcheon- Gyeongsan⋅Pohang, and also connects to Gangneung, Gangwon province along the east coast. It is presumed that this route served as an arterial road. The main road was not available from Miryang, Cheongdo, and Jain. It seems that there was a separate branch line joining Ulsan. In addition, it is presumed that the Andong-Yeongyang-Yeongdeok-Yeonghae transportation route was also operated. These transportation route was verified by comparing it with the salt road in the late Joseon Dynasty. Because the salt road was the road with the most traffic. From the Three Kingdoms Period(三國時代) to the late Joseon Dynasty(朝鮮時代), there were virtually no changes in the terrain and means of transportation that could significantly affect transit. The salt road in the Yeongnam region were divided into four districts according to geographical factors. It was confirmed that the distribution zone of Gyeongju-style earthenware were consistent with the distribution network of salt in the east coast. Through this study, it was confirmed that earthenware culture could be used to restore ancient transportation routes in the Yeongnam region. Considering that the salt road operated in the private sector and that the end point of the road starting inland is leading to Ulsan rather than the political center Gyeongju, it could be observed that the transportation network formed to obtain essential goods such as salt and iron had an effect on the formation of pottery distribution zone.

THE COMPLEX CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL MATERIALS FROM THE ALOVSKAYA KURGAN GROUPS(BRONZE AGE)

In 1981 V. N. Shitov undertook the excavations of three kurgan groups near to thevillage of Alovo, Atyashevskij district, Mordovian ASSR. Kurgan No.1 was ex-cavated in each kurgan group. All the kurgans studied had a round shape. Traces of one burial were found under the kurgans of the first kurgan group. Traces of two burials were found under the kurgans of the second and third kurgan groups. The burial rite and the inventories that accompanied the deceased testify that all the burials belonged to the Srubnaya archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age. The general dating of all the monuments is II-I millennium AD. In the ar-ticle we give a comprehensive and versatile characterization of the anthropolog-ical materials from the Alov kurgan groups. The material is scarce. The degree of its preservation is different. Incomplete skeletons of at least three individuals were found and examined according to craniometric, odontological, osteometric and paleopathological programs. The craniological materials are represented by a single skull from an unidentified burial. The skull is massive. It belonged to a man with Caucasian traits, but with a slight Mongoloid raid. The percentage of the Mongoloid element (according to G. F. Debets) is 21.7%. The odontological features characteristic of the western odontological trunk predominate. The stud-ies of the postcranial skeleton showed that all the individuals from the Alov kur-gan groups experienced significant physical exertion during their lifetime. The body length of two individuals was determined. They both were relatively tall, even by today’s standards.