Funerary Research Articles

The Political Ecology of Death: Chinese Religion and The Affective Tensions of Secularised Burial Rituals in Singapore

This paper explores the political ecology of death and the affective tensions of secularised burial rituals in Singapore. Although scholars have recently acknowledged the roles of biopower and affect in shaping environmental politics, religion and death as socio-affective forces have not been substantively engaged with by political ecologists. We argue that death is inherently both a spiritual and ecological phenomenon, as it exposes not only the spiritual geographies that structure how people see the natural world, but also the affective tensions and struggles over what counts as a “proper” form of burial in relation to religion and nature. First, we demonstrate how the Singapore state utilises a politico-ecological discourse to secularise Chinese death rituals, such that the death can be separated from the transcendent spheres and incorporated into the environmental biopolitics. Second, we focus on how people's variegated affective inhabitations of religion and secularity condition the political ecology of death. In doing so, this paper foregrounds the roles of religion, secularity and affect in rethinking the “political” of political ecology.

Grave of the Globular Amphora culture from Koszyce in the chronological perspective

The grave of the Globular Amphora culture from site 2 in Koszyce, near Kraków, has already been the subject of a separate monograph and specialised analyses. This article addresses the chronology of the mass burial, resulting from a comparison of 23 radiocarbon dates obtained in three laboratories. The chronometric data were then juxtaposed with the results of isotopic analyses of strontium (87Sr/86Sr), carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). The analysis of the results indicates that the burial from Koszyce should most likely be dated to around 2880–2870 BC, which is slightly earlier than assumed in previous studies. It comes from a time when the Final Eneolithic barrow communities of the Corded Ware culture had already been present in the loess uplands of western Lesser Poland, and the burial ritual of some of the GAC groups was evolving towards the ritual of the Złota culture. The similar dating of these cultural phenomena makes it difficult to determine which community was responsible for the mass murder committed at Koszyce.

The Early Medieval graves of Groß Ottenhagen (Berezovka). On the way from Sambia to the middle reaches of the Niemen

The field research at Groß ottenhagen (Berezovka) conducted in 2003 and 2004 was the first international scientific collaboration between German and russian archaeologists in kaliningrad region since 1945. The Groß ottenhagen cemetery demonstrates almost continuous functioning for about 1,000 years, from the roman iron Age up to the middle Ages. The part of the site considered in the article belongs to the last stage of the development of sambian-natangian culture among the old Prussians in the 11th to the 13th centuries Ad. despite a first analysis by the excavators in 2005, this data from the cemetery has never been fully published. Groß ottenhagen graves from the discussed period are represented by so-called double layer burial features, with human cremations on top of horse burials. The burial rites and grave goods at the cemetery are discussed in the context of archaeological material from the sambian peninsula and southwest and central lithuania. The relative chronology of Groß ottenhagen is based on an analysis of grave goods, as well as the stratigraphy and the spatial distribution of the graves. According to the absence of imported/status goods at Groß ottenhagen, the cemetery probably belonged to a peripheral group of the late sambian-natangian region culture of the Prussians.

«Луч­шим памятником ученым предшествующих поколений станет развитие их идей…»: памяти Леонида Теодоровича Яблонского (1950–2016)

Research objectives: To consider the creative path and main views of L.T. Yablonsky, as well as his influence on ideas about the ethnic history of the Golden Horde population and theoretical problems of ethnogenesis. Research materials: The authors of the article were based on numerous publications by L.T. Yablonsky, as well as personal impressions from meetings with the researcher on expeditions and at academic conferences. Results and novelty of the research: The authors consider the formation of L.T. Yablonsky as a unique specialist who combined archaeological training and professional study of physical anthropology. This allowed him to draw important conclusions about the formation of the Golden Horde population. Later, he resorted to this method to study the early nomads of the Aral Sea region and the South Urals. His works became an event in the research field, since they positively differed from others not only by an interdisciplinary approach to the problem under study – at the junction of archaeology and ethnogenetics – but also by the wide use of anthropological materials. Prior to these works, all information about the population of the Jochid ulus was fragmentary and unsystematic, and he was the very researcher who first connected the data of paleoanthropology and the analysis of the burial rite in medieval burial grounds. He proved the fact that the Golden Horde population consisted of mixed population groups, and identified those population groups that, in his opinion, came from Central Asia. L.T. Yablonsky attached great importance to the methodology of research on ethnogenesis and ethnic history. He advocated an integrated scientific approach to their study and emphasized the huge role of paleoanthropology and archaeology in solving ethnogenetic problems. In his opinion, the rapid divergence of various scientific disciplines – ethnology, archaeology, physical anthropology, and genetics – was the main problem that hindered the development of scientific ethnogenetic research. L.T. Yablonsky, therefore, believed that expanding comprehensive research would help solve this problem.

Banquet of elites: Hallstatt Period hoard with vessels and iron cauldron hanger of Kralice na Hané in Moravia (CZ)

The Hallstatt hoard from Kralice na Hané, containing eight bronze vessels, iron hanger for cauldrons and two iron heads of supporting rods used in fire pits, represents a unique evidence of deposition of luxury items from the period of 625–500 BCE (Ha D1–D2) in the Czech Republic. The hanging assembly for cauldrons and the supporting heads do not have any known analogies in the Hallstatt Period and constitute the oldest find of its kind to the North of the Alps. The bronze vessels are also unique in their own way, there are no analogies to the ladles with levered handles, and bowls with what is known as omphalos are very rare. The detailed analysis of the hoard reveals the social roots of the owners. They were probably members of the elite class. Chemical analysis proved the presence of animal fat residue in the bronze vessels. The possible usage of the vessel is discussed in the details. Additionally, the three sequences of the existence of the set, i.e. – origins of the set, predisposition processes of the set and the background of its placement in the proximity of a magnate homestead in the centre of the Platěnice group of the East Hallstatt culture in Central Moravia, are described. Authors are suggesting the use of luxurious set in the banquet of elites combined with prolonged burial ceremony.

Early Medieval Kyrgyz burial from the Upper Irtysh region

In Central Asia in the second half of the 1st millennium A.D., there were development and rapid change of large polyethnic state formations of allied congeneric groups of the Turkic people, Uigurs, Kyrgyz, Kimaks, and Kipchaks. The material goods of most of the tribal unions are unidentified and cannot be associated with the names of specific ethnic groups known from the written sources. Continuance and cultural affinity of the succes-sive nomadic communities are based upon identity of the subsistence systems in similar natural and climatic con-ditions. The Kyrgyz (Khakass) Khaganate, which emerged in the Upper Yenisei region, was one of the Early Me-dieval states. In the second half of the 9th century, the authority of the Kyrgyz khagans spread onto the vast terri-tories of Central Asia. The main culture-forming attribute of the Kyrgyz ethnos is cremation burials. The study of the cremation burials found beyond the ancestral homeland of the Kyrgyz allows tracing the intertribal contacts and directions of military campaigns of the Kyrgyz during the period of their “greatpowerness”. In this paper, mate-rials of the burial mound of Menovnoe VIII, situated in the territory of the Upper Irtysh 2.1 km south-east from the village of Menovnoe, Tavrichesky district, East-Kazakhstan Region, are analysed. Under the mound of the kurgan, there was a fence with an outbuilding. The central grave contained a cremation burial, and the outbuilding — an adolescent burial and a sacrificial pit with a horse carcass split into halves. The grave goods are represented by a bronze waistbelt clasp and a fragment of an iron object. Alongside the horse, there was a quiver with three arrow-heads and a rasp-file, as well as part of a bridle (a snaffle bit fixed to a wooden cheekpiece and a bronze buckle tip). The specifics of the burial rite and analysis of the material obtained during the study of the funeral complex allows attribution of the Menovnoe-VIII kurgan 8 graves to representatives of the Kyrgyz-Khakass antiquities, who were in contact with the rulers of the Kimak Khaganate during the second half of the 8th — 10th century.

The effect of Christianity on the tradition and culture of the Idoma people of Nigeria: A comparative study

Some of the traditions and cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people of Nigeria have been influenced both positively and negatively as a result of the advent of Christianity in the area. The aim of this research is to investigate some of the cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people before the advent of Christianity, the people’s response to the new faith and the propelling factors behind the responses of the people. In doing so, a comparative study on these beliefs and practices after the advent of Christianity in Idoma traditional society was done. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive method for data analysis. Personal interviews form a primary source of data collection, while the secondary source includes library sources. This method of study was chosen to allow the data collected to speak for themselves without any interference from the researchers. The study unveils that the advent of Christianity in the Idoma traditional society had some impact and consequences on the traditional and cultural practices of the people, such as death and burial ceremonies, the Aje-alekwu festival and widowhood practices among others. The study recommends that there should be a synergy between Idoma traditional beliefs and practices and Christianity for peaceful co-existence, progress and development in the area.Contribution: It is erroneously believed that in the contemporary society, traditional religious practices are going to die and become a thing of the past. However, one would observe from this study that Idoma people still hold their traditional beliefs and practices in high esteem despite the influence of Christianity in the area.

Life after death: a physicochemical study of materials used by the ancient Maya in human bone ointments

Ancient Maya believed in life after death. They used to prepare dead bodies during burial ceremonies whose purpose was to celebrate the dead and to help them passing through the way from earthly life to the beyond one. Bodies preparation included coloured scented body ointment application, with a deep symbolic connotation and probably also a conservative purpose. The aim of this research was to characterize pigments and binders used by ancient Maya in the preparation of body ointments used to paint human bones. Emblematic painted bone samples from Xcambó (Maya archaeological site located in the municipality of Dzemul, in the Mexican state of Yucatán) were investigated through a non-destructive and micro-destructive analytical techniques. Results pointed out the presence of two mainly red pigments, i.e. red ochre and cinnabar, as already observed in other Maya painted bones. The new insight of the research is the identification of the organic compounds used as binding media in the ointments: a mixture of vegetable drying oil (probably Chia seed oil) mixed with an aromatic compound (bitumen). This knowledge, together with that obtained in the last decades, is important to reconstruct the cultural habitat and social customs of this pre-Hispanic civilization and transfer them to today’s context.Graphical abstract

COVID-19 pandemic preventive guidelines and protocols: How does this affect the Yoruba funeral rites in Nigeria

Funeral rites are significant instrument used in expressing, reaffirming and reinforcing life after death among the Yoruba’ and its not just limited to burying the dead but involves a series of rituals that are performed prior to and after the burial depending on the circumstances that surrounds the death of the deceased, the religious affiliation and the community which the deceased belonged. This is usually marked by some form of celebration especially when the deceased is said to have lived a fulfilled life and died at a ripe old age. However, with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent preventive guidelines and protocols outlined by the World Health Organization that are expected to be implemented by various governments all over the world including Nigeria, there are indications that the funeral rites may have been altered. This study therefore examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic preventive guidelines and protocols on the Yoruba funeral rites. In order to substantiate some of the claims presented in the study, primary data was obtained through in-depth interview from twenty (20) participants while participants were recruited through snow ball sampling method. Data retrieved was analyzed using the qualitative data analysis program ATLAS.ti version 8. Findings from the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic preventive guidelines and protocols affects the Yoruba funeral rites in the areas of grieving and mourning, preparation for burial, funeral service and burial as well as burial ceremony.

Christian burials with vessels in Moscow State: to the status of the issue

The article considers Christian burials with vessels of the late 14th – mid-17th centuries. During this period, burial vessels became an important part of the funeral rite of Muscovy. The volume of material sufficient for statistical processing made it possible to reveal the most characteristic features of the funeral ritual with a vessel in the grave. The following signs were selected for study: areas where such burials occur, persons who were buried this way the locations in which a vessel was placed in the grave. Archaeological evidence has confirmed the emergence of this burial tradition primarily in Moscow and the surrounding area. This burial rite was more common in monasteries and elite necropolises. Vessel was not a required object. They are more often found in male burials than in female ones. The results of the study indicate that in performing the funeral ritual people tried to adhere to a certain single tradition while clear canonical rules were lacking. Thus, it was the priest conducting the ceremony who decided whom with and where to place a vessel in the grave.

Barrows in the funeral space at the turn of the Final Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Carpathian basins of Vistula and San rivers

The aim of the paper is to present funeral customs of communities that inhabited the Carpathian foothills of Vistula and San rivers basins at the Final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age representing Corded Ware and Mierzanowice cultures in the light of new chronometric data. These radiocarbon data were obtained for barrows at site 3 in Średnia, Przemyśl district and Jawczyce, Wieliczka district site 1, mound 2. According to conducted investigations the earliest barrows in this region can be dated to the beginning of the 29th century BC. Then in the younger phase of the Corded Ware culture the exploitation of existing mound continued so subsequent graves were dug into the embankment. This burial rite lasted until the turn of the 24th and 23rd centuries BC so can be synchronised with the presence of niche graves to the north of Carpathian foothills. Afterwards during the Early Bronze Age starting at the 22nd century BC communities of the Mierzanowice culture also chose existing mounds as a place to bury their dead. Therefore one can conclude that in funeral rites of the Corded Ware and Mierzanowice cultures groups in the Carpathian foothills the barrow as the burial place of their ancestors played the main role.

From Paganism to Christianity and the Administrative-Ecclesiastical Integration of the Parishes on the Middle Valley of Târnava Mare in the Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries

Abstract This paper aims at describing the process through which religious rites and rituals have changed within settlements located along the middle valley of the Târnava Mare River, evolving from pagan manifestations to the emergence of Catholic ecclesiastic institutions, contributing thus to a new regional religious identity. The archaeological findings of the Mediaş group indicates the practice of the cremation rite in this particular area, which was a common custom up until the mid-ninth century. In the following ninth to eleventh century period, however, there is a gap in archaeological evidence relevant to the funeral rite; no burial grounds or cemeteries have been identified, and only one settlement in Albeşti (Mureş County) was found. The Târnava Mare basin was shortly encompassed within the Hungarian Kingdom. Thus, starting with the twelfth century, a series of indagines were built and defended by the Szeklers’ communities. The cemetery on the so-called Dealul Viilor in Sighişoara is attributed to the Szeklers. A new burial ritual was observed, namely an anthropomorphic practice, after German populations settled down along the Târnava Mare valley and after the arrival of Dominican monks in Sighişoara, where they erected a Dominican convent. From an institutional point of view, these settlements were placed under the jurisdiction of the Transylvanian bishopric and of the chapters/ diaconates of Mediaş, Laslea/Criş, Târnava Mare, Târnava Mica, Saschiz, Tileagd.

Kurgan-Cemeteries of Central and Eastern Regions of North Caucasus 3rd Century BC – Early 2nd Century AD (Monuments Chegem-Manaskent Type)

The article is devoted to analysis of materials from kurgan-cemeteries of the foothill zone of Central and Eastern North Caucasus regions (from Kabardino-Balkaria to Caspian Dagestan) dating back to the 3rd century BC – early (first half) 2nd century AD. These sites were earlier referred to as the Chegem-Manaskent type. Main diagnostic features of these sites are similar traditions of the funeral rite and the ceramic complex. The formation of the Chegem-Manaskent cultural monuments includes the material culture, determined by traditions of the North Caucasian sedentary population, and the funeral rite based on customs of the nomadic population of the North Caucasian steppes of the early Sarmatian period. The original territory of Chegem-Manaskent culture of monuments formation was the area from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic to the western part of the Chechen Republic. The kurgan cemeteries of the Caspian Dagestan were the result of the migration of Chegem-Manaskent culture carriers in this direction. The cultural traditions of the population formed a specific basis of the early Alanian culture of the North Caucasus (2nd–4th AD); their genetic connection is witnessed by similar funeral rite (burial in type I catacombs) and in the ceramic complex. So, the monuments of the Chegem-Manasket type underlie the formation of the monuments of the Podkumok-Khumara type, with which they are connected by the use of a catacomb burial rite with the repeated use of chamber for new graves and a ceramic complex. In addition, the ceramic complex of monuments of the circle of the Andreiauli settlement largely goes back to the ceramic tradition of antiquities Chegem-Manasket circle, complicated by the morphological influences of the tradition of Caucasian Albania including the use of the transformed catacomb burial rite with multiple use of chamber graves and the ceramic complex.

Children's burial of the 7th century from Beslan kurgan cemetery in the focus of complex interdisciplinary research

The comprehensive study of children's burials has become one of the most topical areas of archaeological research in recent decades. Peculiarities of the burial rites of juvenile individuals, their diseases and physical development parameters serve as an important indicator of the social status, reflecting as in a mirror the historical moment and specific cultural traditions. Our article presents the results of a study of an unusual child burial in archaeological context and anthropological data. It was carried out in a suburb on the periphery of barrow 876 in podpoi burial 2 of the Beslan kurgan catacomb cemetery (RNO-Alania), dating to the middle of the 7th century AD. Multidisciplinary analysis of the bone remains suggests that this 4-5 year old individual, with a bronze chain around his neck, at the time of burial had experienced repeated physiological stresses and significant physical exertion during his short life and was almost two times behind modern standards in terms of growth rate. But this child's head was intentionally deformed, and his frontal bone shows traces of extensive trepanation with no signs of healing, which does not rule out the high lifetime social status of this buried child and/or his parents.

Conception ontologique et Rites de conservation du corps humain en Egypte ancienne et dans le reste de l’Afrique noire moderne

In this article, we will mention the Egyptian sources of the Pharaonic period and those of the classical authors in order to explain the ontological perception of the human body and the rites which enable the everlasting preservation of the corpse to avoid the second death. The second death is the disappearance from the collective memory, that of one’s parents and of society as a whole. This is the reason why bereaved Negro-Egyptian societies celebrated death through mourning, the purification of the body, its preservation through mummification, its placing in the sarcophagus, the celebration of burial rites, the construction of the tomb and the erection of funerary stele for the identification of the deceased and his integration into the society of the dead. This process of socialization of the dead is technically described in hieroglyphic texts. This contribution aims to re-examine these hieroglyphic texts.

Enclosures of Death in the Early Iron Age

This article focuses on the study of the Early Iron Age necropolis of Esfola, taking into account the burial rituals of the site (the architecture, the funerary objects and the human skeletal analyses are dealt with in the context of ‘burial ritual’ studies). This research will contribute to the body of knowledge on Early Iron Age necropolises with enclosures, typical of the Beja and Ourique regions in southern Portugal, i.e. Vinha das Caliças 4, Monte do Bolor 1–2, Cinco Réis 8, Carlota and Palhais. All these sites identified in the southern Iberian Peninsula allow us to characterize the funerary rituals practised in this region during the Early Iron Age.

Genesis of Artificially Deformed Early Medieval Skulls Discovered at Samtavro Cemetery and Their Historical Significance

The work ‘Genesis of Artificially Deformed Early Medieval Skulls Discovered at Samtavro Cemetery and Their Historical Significance’ looks at early medieval regular and artificially deformed skulls obtained from Samtavro cemetery and preserved at the Anthropological Research Laboratory of the History and Ethnology Institute of the Tbilisi State University. Apart from the skulls, the work deals with the catalogue of the craniological collection and individual data for every skull preserved in this institution. The work also relies on the information of the records kept in the Georgian National Museum, based on which knowledge about early medieval types of graves, burial rites and artifacts of Samtavro cemetery has been obtained. The work looks at the types of cranial deformation, gender and age structure of the buried, physiological stress markers and anomaly frequencies among the population of this period. It also outlines distribution of the inventory among the deformed and non-deformed skulls in order to estimate whether the deformed ones belonged to the upper class society. Charts are compiled based on distribution of deformed and non-deformed skulls obtained from Samtavro cemetery according to gender and age, which provides a clear picture in respect to average life expectancy among the individuals with deformed and non-deformed skulls. In order to find the reason for the deformation, historical sources are considered and final explanation for why the residents of Mtskheta practiced artificial deformation of skulls is provided.

THETECHNOLOGY OF DỪNDỨN DRUMS IN YORUBA CULTURE

Musical instruments, no matter what culture on earth they are found in, often represent themost complex technologicaldevelopment of that particular culture. For instance, Dừndứndrums are the most famous traditional drums in Yoruba culture. It is the principal and themost popular type of instrumental music in Yoruba culture. It has a key role in traditionalevents, celebrations and functions that are dear for the culture e.g.birth, naming, burial andfuneral ceremonies. Dừndứndrum is used for various ceremonies because it is capable ofproducing music that is specific to an occasion. But what goes into its making that gives itsuch a potential? This paper thus attempts to discuss the origin, overall-shape, andconstruction, as regard the methods of attaching the skin to the body of frame of the drum,the tuning and the techniques of playing Dừndứn drums in Yoruba culture.

Cultural Preservation of Panay Bukidnon-Halawodnons Amidst Emergent Society

Ethnic groups are known as minorities in any society. However, the richness of their culture can never be undermined, rather, it serves as defining stuff of history that is worthy of being upheld and preserved. This ethnographic study was specifically designed to investigate how the Panay Bukidnon-Halawodnons in barangay Agcalaga, Calinog, Iloilo, Philippines upheld their cultural society amidst the influence of the mainstream institutions in their community during the 1st quarter of 2019. The informants were chosen through purposive sampling on the basis of the inclusion criteria set before them. Permission from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the cultural community was secured prior to the conduct of fieldwork in the said area. The researchers performed data triangulation and ground truths for the validity of data and observed data saturation for the reliability of the gathered data. NVivo 12 Plus was used for conceptual analysis while the researchers themselves did the analytic analysis. Barangay Agcalaga is generally on its midway progress. Being a cultural community, the Panay Bukidnon-Halawodnons in this place maintain their cultures such as Council of Elders, "binanog" dance, rituals in farming, house construction, circumcision, dagaan, luy-a luy-a, and batak-dungan; bayanihan; babaylan; and love of nature while their lost cultures include binukot; serenade (harana); traditional IP house; burial rites (embalming); dowry system; primitive costumes (bahag and patadyong). The Philippine government is called to ratify the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169 or Convention 169 to fortify the cultures of the Indigenous Peoples not only in Calinog, Iloilo but also in the entire country.

THE BARROW OF THE EARLY IRON AGE NEAR MOTRONYN HILLFORT

In 2019, the Scythian Right-bank expedition organized by the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the National Historical and Cultural Reserve «Chyhyryn» excavated the barrows on the Motronyn hillfort suburb, located near Melnyky village, Chyhyryn district, Cherkasy Region, in the south of the Forest-Steppe of Dnieper Right-bank area.
 The barrows were erected in pre-Scythian Age and the barrow 97 also contained the inlet Scythian burial. This mound was 0.65 m high, the diameter was 8.8—9.8 m. A pre-Scythian burial-memorial complex was discovered under the mound, destroyed by a later burial. Finds from it are represented by fragments of ceramic ware: pots, large earthenware pots, bowls, ladles. Some fragments are decorated with geometric patterns. Ceramic spindle whorls, iron knives, bronze arrowheads, plaques, and animal bones were also found.
 During the Middle Scythian period another deceased was buried in the center of the mound. The tomb had the shape of a rectangular pit, oriented along the west — east line. Its length was 1.89—2.16 m, width — 0.7—0.82 m, depth from the surface of the mound — 1.45 m. The skeleton laid supine, with its head to the west. The left leg was lying on a stone slab. A quiver with arrows was placed next to it. An iron sword and a knife with a bone handle were found near the belt. This burial was also accompanied with the laying of wares in the mound borders. A pot was buried in the north, and handmade and wheel-made bowls in the east.
 Pre-Scythian finds from the mound have analogies in different regions of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe where antiquities of the Late Chornoliska and Zhabotyn cultures are widespread, in particular on the Middle Dniester and in the Southern Bug River region, on the Right-bank of the Dnieper and in the Vorskla River region. A set of pottery and an arrowhead of the Novocherkassk type allows us to date the mentioned assemblage by the second half of the 8th century BC.
 Funeral rite and grave goods of the Scythian Age burial also have parallels in the sites of that time, including the south of the Right-bank of Middle Dnieper. According to the pot type and arrowheads, this burial can be dated to the second half of the 6th century BC.