Forensic taphonomy is the study of how human bodies decompose, and body farms are special research centers where experts observe this process under different environmental conditions. Body farms provide forensic scientists with accurate information about how climate, soil, and local animals affect the rate and pattern of human decomposition, which is crucial for solving crimes and supporting justice. In countries like America, Australia, and Europe, body farms have greatly improved the ability to determine when and how death occurred, but India currently relies on animal substitutes and non-local data, which do not accurately represent its varied climates and ecosystems. This gap means Indian forensic experts may struggle with estimating postmortem intervals and identifying bodies, especially in a country with a wide range of climates, burial customs, and natural environments. Animal models, while helpful, cannot fully replicate the details of human decomposition necessary for precise forensic investigations, education, and research. Establishing human decomposition research facilities in India would address these problems, improving forensic science education, training for police and medical experts, and the reliability of evidence in criminal cases. However, creating body farms in India involves overcoming ethical, legal, and cultural challenges, such as setting up body donation programs and ensuring respectful handling of remains. By learning from global examples and focusing on regional needs, India can develop taphonomy centers that will bring scientific, educational, and legal benefits. This paper discusses these needs, the importance of region-specific research, and offers recommendations for improving forensic practice in India.

Cave burial is a funerary practice believed to be associated with modern Kra-Dai (KD) and Hmong-Mien (HM) speakers for thousands of years. However, the extent to which these ancient cave burial practitioners contributed to the formation of modern ethnic minority groups remains poorly understood due to the limited ancient genomic data. We generated 14 newly sequenced ancient human genomes from cave burial sites in Guangxi. The findings reveal continuous gene flow from northern lineages into ancient cave burial populations, shaping their genetic profiles over time. We observed a significant genetic distinction in HM populations: Southeast Asian HM groups derive 74.8-100% of their ancestry from cave burials, preserving a robust ancient southern genetic signature, while Chinese HM populations exhibit only 11.1-37.2% ancient cave burial ancestry, but heavily admixed with Yellow River-related populations (14.7-52.1%), reflecting differential historical interactions with northern migrants. In contrast, most KD speakers maintain tight genetic clustering with Guangxi ancestors (28.5-100% contribution from cave burials). The HM formation involved admixture between ancient cave burials, northern farmers, and local KD-related groups, which is evident in the genetic cline of She and Miao populations.

First archaeological evidence of Early Holocene human settlement on the Atlantic coast of South America. The Camarones burial site, Argentine Patagonia

This study investigates 49 gold solidi issued between the 4th and 5th century AD to determine their chemical composition. The coins were first catalogued by recording mass, diameter, and thickness. All specimens underwent non-destructive µ-EDXRF analysis to identify main elements, followed by semi-quantitative fineness evaluation. To validate these results, six coins were randomly micro-sampled: material was dissolved in aqua regia and analysed by ICP-AES for gold quantification and ICP-MS for high precision trace element determination. The non-destructive analyses showed consistently high gold percentages, confirming authenticity and the extensive use of this noble metal during the studied period. Two distinct groups were identified based on the XRF Pt/Pd ratio, suggesting the use of gold from different sources. Comparison of μ-EDXRF and ICP-AES gold contents shows no statistically significant differences; however, this apparent agreement should be interpreted cautiously, as it mainly reflects the limited resolving power of ICP-AES at very high gold concentrations rather than definitive evidence for the absence of surface-related effects. Trace elements analysis detected low concentrations of Cu, Sn, and Pb suggesting the use of alluvial gold for minting. The presence and correlation of terrigenous elements (Al, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Sr) indicate soil as the burial site.

Death is inseparable from the functioning of the biosphere and demonstrates its inherent connection to the presence of humanity on Earth. According to data from the end of 2024, with a total global population of 8.156 billion people, the average daily number of recorded deaths is 170,463, which amounts to 7,103 deaths per hour. An analysis of urbanized areas, which are home to 4.42 billion people, revealed a direct correlation between urban development and the management of burial sites. A historical retrospective shows that urban agglomerations, which have existed for millennia, have traditionally served as sites for interment. Currently, the territories of former burial grounds are used mainly as permanent burial zones, converted into park areas or built-up areas with green spaces. A study of the soil cover in the aforementioned territories revealed specific characteristics due to their original purpose and subsequent land-use transformations. All soils at burial sites are classified as necrosols and are characterized by the following features: turbation of the soil profile, enrichment of deeper soil horizons with phosphorus and carbon, deep mixing of the soil, and the presence of various artifacts and burial remains. In modern soil classification, there is no place for those soils that, after being used for burials, are utilized within built-up areas; they can only be characterized as “technogenic” or “other soils” without indicating the presence of former graves.This article provides a review of foreign and Russian literature devoted to the study of cemetery soils, aiming to classify them according to their degree of impact on the environment and public health. The study did not include soils used for burial sites after the cremation of the bodies of the deceased in a crematorium or for burial sites in family vaults.Contribution: Ushakova O.V. – research concept and design, writing, editing; Rakhmanin Yu.A. – research concept, editing; Evseeva I.S. – research concept and design, collection of material and data processing, writing, editing; Ibragimova S.Sh. – writing, editing. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Funding. The study was carried out as part of the State assignment.Received: November 13, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: January 15, 2026

ABSTRACT To enhance our understanding of everyday people during the Late Ceramic Period in Panama, burials from Operation 5 at the Cerro Juan Díaz site (1050–1400 CE) are assessed within a biocultural approach. Here, burials cut through and overlay a pre-existing house floor to place the majority of the deceased in uniform extended, supine positions. Grave goods were only found with children, following similar patterns of special adornment of child burials during the Middle Ceramic Period. Relatively high frequencies of non-specific physiological stress markers evidenced widespread inflammation and anaemia, perhaps relating to social and environmental factors affecting sanitation, infectious disease risk, and food availability. Artificial cranial modification and activity-related dental wear suggest that body modification may have been used to reinforce cultural boundaries and that children may have used their teeth as tools. These inferences deepen knowledge of human experiences during this time and provide a basis for future research.

In July 2024, the National Archaeological Agency carried out a rescue excavation at Dubna, Soroca District, in a site previously unknown to specialists and attributed to the Sântana de Mureș-Černjachov culture. The intervention was initiated after a local resident reported the presence of human bones and archaeological fragments on the surface, brought to light by deep ploughing. At the site, numerous artefacts were identified, including ceramic fragments, bronze and iron objects, a spindle whorl, a bronze ring, pieces of fired clay, animal bones, and two human skeletons. These belong both to a settlement from the period of the Gothic migrations and to a double inhumation burial that had been entirely destroyed by agricultural work. A 2x2 m test trench confirmed the presence of a funerary complex through the discovery of a bone comb and other artefacts. Based on the typology of the comb, the burial can be dated to the second half of the 4th century AD, while the settlement appears to be earlier, likely from the first half of the same century or even from the end of the previous one.

This paper aims to examine the latest excavation results, clarify the characteristics of the structure, burial customs, and excavated artifacts, and ultimately define the nature of the groups that constructed Stone-Mound Tombs distributed in the Inland Central Region of the Korean Peninsula from the Proto-Three Kingdoms Period to the Hanseong Period of Baekje. By taking into account the tomb-building groups in the surrounding ditch-enclosed pit-tomb and mound-tomb territories, this study presents the social characteristics of the Stone-Mound Tomb groups and describes their developmental process after the 4th century. Based on the excavation results from sites like Gonjiam-ri in Gwangju and Aura-ji in Jeongseon, the Stone-Mound Tombs in the Inland Central Region are characterized by the Conjoined Multiple Burial-Pit Type, where multiple main burial chambers are sequentially connected. In terms of burial customs, no wooden coffins or chambers were used, and multiple secondary burials and multiple-person burials are confirmed. The combination of secondary and multiple-person burials observed in these tombs is comparable to various archaeological data, including cremated human remains from the Jungdo Cultural Sphere, suggesting a connection to indigenous, local burial traditions. Furthermore, prolonged communal ritual activities, such as the deposition of pottery fragments and animal sacrifices, persisted in both the chambers and the stone mounds. An examination of the excavated artifacts reveals that while the types of pottery vary slightly across different river basins, bronze bells and bronze rings are commonly found and are considered symbolic artifacts of the Stone-Mound Tomb construction groups. Regarding bead artifacts, a variation in quantity is observed across river basins, with the Imjin River and Gyeongan Stream basins being particularly distinctive for the large quantity of finds. The Stone-Mound Tombs in the Inland Central Region were actively constructed during the 3rd century, a period coinciding with the emergence of numerous regional polities in the central region, with the construction limit set around the mid-4th century. Slight regional differences are confirmed, which appear to be tied to the political context of the time. By estimating the potential number of households interred in the Stone-Mound Tombs at the Gwangju Gonjiam-ri site, it is presumed that each chamber was responsible for approximately 1 to 3 members of the settlement. Considering the application of multipleperson burial, the Stone-Mound Tomb is interpreted as a communal cemetery intended for the entire settlement membership, rather than a tomb reserved for a specific ruling class. The hierarchical differences between the chambers are minimal in terms of size and excavated artifacts, a contrast to the elite tombs of the Mahan sphere during the Proto-Three Kingdoms Period. The Stone-Mound Tombs demonstrate a low level of social stratification while presupposing a high level of communal identity centered on the generational complex and the entire settlement. Meanwhile, the Gyeongan Stream basin is a transitional zone where Stone-Mound Tombs intersect with ditch-enclosed pit-tombs. The appearance of a modified Stone- Mound Tomb at the Myeongpyeong-dong site in Yongin during the 4th century is noteworthy. The modified Stone-Mound tomb observed at the Myeongpyeong-dong site can be interpreted as closely linked to the socio-cultural changes experienced by the local society following the expansion of Baekje's central authority and the vigorous influx of population during the Hanseong Period.

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many people’s lives, especially youths who have lost their loved ones. The current study explored the experiences of black African youth grieving in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative approach using phenomenological research design was used. A sample of five focus groups and nine participants was selected through purposive sampling, and data was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The results revealed that youths faced restrictions during COVID-19 when burying their loved ones and were subjected to unusual burial practices. The results further showed that youths lacked social support during burials due to COVID-19 restrictions. Similarly, Neimeyer’s theory shows that social networks are key in the process of grief, providing emphasis on community support. This study recommended strategies such as seeking professional help and considering burial customs during pandemics when developing policies to address grief.

The Yarımca Necropolis, located approximately 9 km east of Yavuzeli district of Gaziantep province, represents one of the most important examples of Roman funerary architecture in Southern Commagene. The Yarımca Necropolis, which was surveyed in 2022 and contains 13 underground chamber tombs, follows a standard Roman burial practice. All tombs have east-facing entrances, arcosoliums and staircases, providing a structural unity within the site. Reflecting standard Roman burial practices, these tombs carved into the limestone bedrock are similar to the necropolises of Doliche, Zeugma and Sogmatar in the region. A nearby cult site 100 m northeast of the burial site, containing damaged reliefs of the goddess Demeter and an eagle, possibly symbolising Zeus, carved on the bedrock surface, suggests the presence of religious rituals associated with death and deification. It is understood that the limestone bedrock covering the necropolis area was used as a quarry. The combination of architectural, iconographic and ritual elements underlines the role of the necropolis not only as a burial site, but also as a sacred space within the Roman cultural-religious landscape. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of Roman funerary traditions, death-related ritual practices and regional differences in Anatolia.

The epitaph of Empress Sunmok (Lady Tae), the wife of King Gan (簡王), discovered in the Longhai (龍海) section of the Longtoushan (龍頭山) Tomb Complex －the royal cemetery of Balhae －provides valuable insight into the realities of the period. Examination of the inscription reveals that the empress’ grandfather, Jangmun, served as an official in charge of the coastal region (海守) of Namhae Prefecture, and that the year of her death, Yeonpyeong (延平) 2 (818), corresponds to the early years of King Seon (宣王)’s reign. Her first burial site, the plain of Xianbei’s Mt. Bulyeok (鮮卑不易山原), is believed to have been a specific location within the territory of Balhae. According to the epitaph, Empress Sunmok originally belonged to the Dae clan and was married to King Gan, who shared the same family name. Her family began to rise to prominence in the early 9th century. The fact that King Gan’s name appears without any honorifics or posthumous titles, that King Seon inaugurated a new era name immediately upon ascending the throne to stabilize the political situation, and that the empress was initially buried outside the royal cemetery －all suggest that King Gan’s death and King Seon’s accession occurred amid political strife. However, roughly a decade later, Empress Sunmok was reburied in the royal cemetery and referred to as “Empress (皇后)” in her epitaph. This indicates that by the latter part of King Seon’s reign, King Gan and his consort had been officially recognized as members of the royal family. Behind this lay King Seon’s political strategy to emphasize royal unity in order to secure a stable succession to the throne.

This article focuses on the reconsideration of some aspects of the Corded Ware phenomenon in Europe. It highlights the impact of new archaeogenetic data, which challenge traditional views of archaeological cultures as monothetic entities. It critiques interpretations of extensive steppe migrations as simplistic, particularly concerning genetic changes. Additionally, it underscores the importance of sacred landscapes, sacred mountains and natural shrines, in understanding Corded Ware rituals and beliefs. The continuity and transition between the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker periods are explored, with a view that rather than a sharp break, these periods represent evolving cultural and ritual practices, particularly noticeable in their burial customs. The article calls for nuanced interpretations embracing both archaeological and genetic evidence to understand the intricate cultural development of the 3rd millennium BC in Europe.

The article examines early modern necropolises in the microregion of the middle Styr River basin, emphasizing their value as archaeological and historical sources for reconstructing social structures, religious affiliations, and cultural practices of the sixteenth to eighteenth century communities in Volhynia. Although burials of this period are widespread, they have rarely been subjected to focused archaeological study, with discoveries typically occurring as part of investigations of fortified sites or religious complexes. The authors aim to identify spatial patterns in cemetery placement and assess the current research landscape to facilitate future landscape reconstructions and more targeted searches for burial sites. The analysis synthesizes data from several excavated necropolises. Rural cemeteries, such as those at Horodyshche Druhe and Buyany, were commonly situated on elevated promontories above river floodplains and at some distance from contemporary settlements. These burial grounds predominantly feature extended inhumations oriented westward, often accompanied by coins and modest grave goods. The Rovantsi site is notable for its large size and density of human remains, suggesting a cemetery serving not only the local population but possibly residents of nearby Lutsk, particularly lower social strata. Individual isolated burials, such as in Lavriv, demonstrate that not all funerary practices conformed to established burial grounds. Urban contexts present a different picture. Within Lutsk, crypt burials beneath churches and monastic buildings dominate, including those associated with the Order of Saint Basil the Great, Jesuit and Dominican monasteries, and parish churches. These structures reflect elite funerary traditions shaped by religious and spatial organization of the early modern city. The discovery of brick-built empty tombs at Zhydychyn likely linked to a short-lived women’s monastery underscores the diversity of burial customs and the complexity of interpreting incomplete archaeological evidence. Overall, the study highlights strong correlations between burial placement and settlement hierarchy, while revealing the fragmentary state of research. The authors argue that many rural necropolises remain undiscovered, especially those once surrounding wooden churches. Their findings form a foundation for future archaeological surveys, improving understanding of cultural landscapes and mortuary traditions in early modern Volhynia.

Issos Epiphaneia, located in the Cilicia Pedias plain, was an important ancient city sustained by agriculture and animal husbandry, while also serving as a strategic bridge along the land trade routes between Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Its harbor, Catabolos, became one of the central hubs of the Roman Empire’s grain corridor, functioning as a site where raw materials and grain were stored, shipped to Rome, and where travelers could find accommodation in mansiones. During the Byzantine and Medieval periods, Catabolos also served as a significant stop along the pilgrimage route stretching from Jerusalem to Bordeaux. In the 11th–13th centuries, Epiphaneia came under the control of the Crusader Kingdom and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, emerging as an important regional center. Archaeological evidence further reveals that the city was a notable production site for glazed ceramics during this period. The Bouleuterion-Odeon, originally constructed in the 2nd century AD during the Roman era, was reused as a cemetery in the Medieval period under Crusader and Armenian rule. Excavations have uncovered human burials and grave goods that provide insights into the cultural structure, socio-economic networks, trade relations and belief syspestas of the period. These findings reveal Epiphaneia’s central role in both the economic and religious life from the Roman period through the Middle Ages. They also show that the city’s cultural heritage holds significant potential for faith tourism, as it was located along a pilgrimage route in antiquity.

This article discusses the attempt to establish a pantheon for the great cultural figures of the Jewish people on Jerusalem’s Har HaMenuchot during Israel’s early years. I examine the idea of creating a national burial site designated for the country’s intellectuals - writers, poets, and thinkers - which would serve as a national memorial institution. It was intended to resemble pantheons for cultural giants in other countries, such as Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in London. The attempt was not successful. The initiative was intended to commemorate the contributions of intellectuals— -including Peretz Smolenskin, Avraham Shalom Yahuda, Naftali Herz Imber, Zvi Hermann Schapira, and Joseph Klausner— - to shaping Zionist national identity. The first stage explored the idea of establishing a pantheon in the Nicanor Cave on Mount Scopus, but this idea was abandoned due to opposition from university authorities and the fluidity of borders during the War of Independence. After the establishment of the state, Mount Herzl served as the national burial site for politicians and fallen soldiers, and in addition, a special section on the summit of Har HaMenuchot was designated for cultural figures. I identify four main reasons for the project’s failure: legal and bureaucratic barriers; ideological disputes centering on the relationship between religion and state; competition from existing pantheons such as Mount Herzl, the Kinneret cemetery, and the old Tel Aviv cemetery on Trumpeldor Street; and the secondary status of intellectuals in the state’s early years. Although the idea was abandoned, the section designated for it on Har HaMenuchot became the burial place of Jerusalem’s distinguished citizens. This local solution achieved recognition from the city but did not achieve national recognition. I show that institutional and social conflicts reflect the tension between collective and state memory and that the fate of the intellectuals mirrored their status in the national culture of the period.

This article presents and analyzes a newly studied inscription from ancient Messene, found on an architectural block originating from a Roman funerary monument (Monument M) located extra muros near the stadium-gymnasium complex. The brief text, reading Διομή|δης | χρηστιανός, identifies a previously unknown early Christian resident of the city. Analysis of the inscription's paleography, simple nominative formula, and archaeological context suggests a date in the late third or early fourth century CE. Particular attention is paid to the orthography χρηστιανός, employing eta instead of iota. This spelling, rare in Greece but paralleled in early inscriptions from Phrygia, Thessaloniki, and documented in papyri, is interpreted as an indicator of an early, pre-standardized phase of Christian epigraphic practice, possibly reflecting the term's external Roman administrative origins before its full assimilation by the community. The inscription is contextualized within Messenian funerary traditions, arguing that Diomedes, likely an elite layman, was interred in a pre-existing family monument (originally created probably in the first or second century CE), demonstrating continuity in burial customs alongside a novel public assertion of Christian identity. This act is framed as a conscious instance of self-representation, reflecting the nascent tradition of foregrounding Christian faith as a primary identifier, akin to declarations found in martyr accounts. Diomedes constitutes the third known member of Messene's pre-Constantinian Christian community, alongside the lector Paramonos and bishop Theodoulos, offering valuable insight into the social composition and self-perception of Christianity in the city before the mid-fourth century. This finding significantly enhances our understanding of the chronology and character of early Christianity in the Peloponnese.

Funerary practices and burial sites offer valuable insights into how societies conceptualize death and an enhanced perspective on communities' social, economic, and cultural contexts. The integration of archaeological data, historical records, iconographic and documentary sources, and socio-cultural anthropology strengthens the understanding of death-related discourses, symbolic representations, and changing attitudes over time. Key funerary indicators, such as graves and spatial distribution in the necropolis, inhumation type, body positioning and orientation, and grave goods, reveal the deceased's integration in their communities and socioeconomic status. This paper explores these indicators to promote a broader understanding of communities' cultural, social, and economic contexts, focusing on the Portuguese Post-Medieval period (1450–1835) while summarizing key concepts. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for a comprehensive interpretation of funerary practices. A detailed contextual analysis of skeletal remains, burial features, and associated material culture is essential to ensure reliable interpretations of funerary practices and social dynamics. Nevertheless, this approach requires the expertise of professionals with extensive fieldwork experience and specialized knowledge in archaeology, biological and forensic anthropology, and bioarchaeology.

This article presents the preliminary results of the 2024 and 2025 excavation of a barrow at site 7 in Dukla, Krosno district. The fieldwork covered an area of almost 400 sq. m, including the current extent of the barrow mound and its immediate surroundings. Beneath the mound, a unique burial site comprising the remains of a funeral pyre, cremated human remains, and grave goods was unearthed. Various sepulchral features were recorded in the immediate vicinity of the mound, including “clean” urned burials, urned burials overlain by pyre debris, and pit burials containing ash, charcoal, pottery fragments, and cremated bones. Based on the ceramic material obtained, the discovered features can be associated with one of the “Transcarpathian” cultures of the Older or Middle Bronze Age.

The medieval urban site of Dmanisi (Figure 1), situated in the Mashavera River valley in the region of Kvemo Kartli, constitutes a pivotal monument for examining the processes of urbanisation, cultural and religious synthesis, and economic integration characteristic of Transcaucasia. By the 9th century, Dmanisi had developed into a prominent strategic and commercial centre, owing to its favourable geographical location at the intersection of major trade routes. As such, it played an active role in the principal historical processes unfolding both regionally and more broadly across the medieval world. Following the invasions of Tamerlane (1370-1405) at the close of the 14th century, much of the city was destroyed and was not substantially reoccupied in subsequent periods. Consequently, archaeological research at the site offers invaluable insights into the urban history of medieval Dmanisi. The city’s ancient fortification systems, residential quarters, religious structures, and commercial areas, together with memorial inscriptions in Georgian, Armenian, and Arabic, and the coexistence of Christian and Muslim religious monuments, provide a vivid illustration of Dmanisi’s multiethnic and multiconfessional urban character. In this respect, Dmanisi bears notable resemblance to other major cities of medieval Transcaucasia, Byzantium, and the Near East.This article, drawing on new epigraphic material – namely, recently discovered Armenian-inscribed tombstones, explores the ethnic and confessional composition of Dmanisi’s medieval population and associated patterns of migration. It also analyses the spatial distribution of burial sites within the city’s necropolis, as reflected in the placement and typology of monumental monuments.

At Site 50 in Srebrzyszcze, a unique complex of sepulchral features of the Globular Amphora Culture was discovered, consisting of a single human grave accompanied by two deposits of animal remains. The uniqueness of this discovery lies in the fact that the person to whom this expanded ritual complex was dedicated was a child, and also in the construction of the complex itself, which represents a type of structure with stone surrounds, very rarely encountered in the East Lublin group of the Globular Amphora Culture. Therefore, the results of research conducted at Site 50 enrich the picture of the Globular Amphora Culture from the Lublin Upland territory, as thesepulchral complex under scrutiny represents the easternmost construction of the Nałęczów type. A radiocarbon date was obtained for the human burial, which may contribute to further considerations upon the chronological position of graves without stone surrounds within the GAC.