Child Burials Research Articles

Unearthing Childhood: The Archeology of Children in North America

The Archaeology of Childhood is a relatively recent focus of archaeological inquiry. An interest in prehistoric childhood comes on the heels of and as a necessary extension of feminist archaeology (Baxter 2008). Archaeological research in the past has largely ignored prehistoric children, or considered them only in the context of site formation processes or child burials (Schwartzman 2006). This neglect of prehistoric children was due to a belief that children were invisible in the archaeological record, because of their unpredictable behavior and their inactivity in the world of adults. They were thought to be passive participants rather than active influencers of their worlds (Baxter 2006).

Морфология детских захоронений ранних кочевников Нижнего Поволжья (по материалам могильников раннесарматского времени)

Морфология детских захоронений ранних кочевников Нижнего Поволжья (по материалам могильников раннесарматского времени)

Children burials of the Saka times in Central Kazakhstan

The materials on the children burials belonging to Tasmola culture in Central Kazakhstan were studied by M.K. Kadyrbaev and A.Z. Beisenov. As the analysis of available data shows there are only nine studied children burials of Tasmola culture. It is possible that some of the children graves, represented by small mounds, do not contain accompanying subjects and in the early period of research they were not mentioned on the pages of scientific publications and reports. New research shows that, along with small mounds, there are significant ones distinguished by their parameters and structure. Two of the nine constructions have diameters higher than 20 m, one of them is 18 m and particularly notable is the kurgan 7 in the burial ground Akbeit studied in Karaganda Region. Its diameter is 21,5 m, height 2,5 m. A four or five year old child, probably a girl, was buried there. The child was buried in a rich dress, as evidenced by gold torque, worn around the neck, and two gold earrings, a bronze mirror, a bone case for cosmetics. Children burials of Tasmola culture as well as the adult burials indicate social strata of that society.

Children's Burials in Fifth-Century Britain and Connections to the Roman Past

This paper considers the relationship between child burials and the way burial parties used them to create connections to the Roman past during Britain's long fifth century, AD 350–550. It examines how both children and adults were buried with late-Roman and early-fifth-century material culture such as bracelets, coins, repurposed Roman curiosities and disc brooches. During the fifth century, though these items were buried with individuals of all ages, the total grave goods assemblage of which they were a part differed for children and adults. Children were usually buried only with Roman material culture, whereas adults were also given items from Anglo-Saxon or other early medieval material cultures. As the chronological distance between a community and the Roman past lengthened, the graves of children – the future of the living community – were used to commemorate or construct connections to the Roman past.

Urban Family Reconstitution - a Worked Example

Family reconstitutions have been undertaken only rarely in urban settings due to the high mobility of historical urban populations, in both life and death. Recently Gill Newton has outlined a methodology for the reconstitution of urban populations and we applied a modified version of this method to the large Westminster parish of St. Martin in the Fields between 1752 and 1812, a period that posed particular difficulties for family reconstitution because of the rapid lengthening of the interval between birth and baptism.1 The extraordinary richness of the records for St. Martin in the Fields made it possible to investigate burial and baptismal practices in great detail, and the extent and impact of residential mobility. We found that short-range, inter-parochial movement was so frequent that it was necessary to confine the reconstitution sample to windows in which families registered events at a single street address. Using birth interval analysis and the frequencies of twin births it was possible to demonstrate that the registration of birth events was fairly complete, but that many infant and child burials were missed. These missing burials probably resulted from the unreported export of corpses for burial in other parishes, a phenomenon for which we had considerable evidence. The limitations of family reconstitution in this highly mobile and heterogeneous urban population is discussed and we demonstrate some checks and corrections that can be used to improve the quality of such reconstitutions.

Saqqara 2012: the pottery

The pottery analyzed this season was associated with the Lower Necropolis (areas of Chapel 14 of Ikhi/Mery and Chapel 13) from the late Old Kingdom as well as the Upper Necropolis from the Late through Roman periods, extant in this region. The assemblage from the Lower Necropolis supplemented the little known ceramic repertoire from the Saqqara phase II (Pepi I–Merenre). Of interest is a type of miniature vessel possibly connected with child burials. As for pottery from the Upper Necropolis, the form repertoire indicates that the area currently explored was the site of simple embalming caches.

The burials of children in the Funnel Beaker and Globular Amphora cultures in the Lublin Region

The burials of children in the Funnel Beaker and Globular Amphora cultures in the Lublin Region

The rock-cut tomb of Bolores (Torres Vedras): an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the social landscape of the Late Neolithic/Copper Age of the Iberian Peninsula

To better understand the sociopolitical landscape of the Portuguese Estremadura during the Late Neolithic/Copper Age, interdisciplinary excavations were conducted at Bolores (Torres Vedras), in the Sizandro River Valley. Following a test season in 1986, a University of Iowa team conducted four campaigns between 2007 and 2012. Bolores is a rock-cut tomb used primarily between 2800-2600 cal BC for the burial of adults, adolescents, and children (MNI=36). The architectural, material cultural, and bioarchaeological evidence suggests that Bolores housed the remains of a distinctive group of local individuals who marked their difference from other burial populations in the Sizandro and Estremadura through material culture and tomb architecture. Social differences were denoted spatially and through offerings of material goods. No social stratification is evident, however, that would suggest a state-level society: there are no wealthy child burials and no significant health or dietary disparities within this population or between it and others in the region.

Children’s Burials in Ancient Egypt

This research spots the light on the children burials in ancient Egypt. Thus, the researcher investigates the common reasons of the children death. The highest death rate of all was in the first few days, rather less when averaged over a month and still lower for the first year. Usually the dead children were those who were weak or sick or had congenital defects and deformities. The death can be caused also by discarding the infants. It seems that the percentage of children burials increased during the Graeco-Roman period. The researcher also the different types of children burials appeared throughout the periods of ancient Egypt, either that of the infants or the children. The burial could be done in cemeteries after being placed inside pottery jars, coffins, baskets, or boxes. Others were buried under the floor of the houses. In the Graeco-Roman period, evidences proved that the children were also cremated. As for the procedures taken for taking care of the children corpses till they reach their graves; it seems that they were treated such as the adults.

A method for calculating soil pressure overlying human burials

While damage to the human skeleton due to vertical pressure exerted by overlying soil is a common observation at archaeological excavations, comparatively few studies have attempted to quantify the magnitude of this pressure. As part of a suite of taphonomic studies of a nineteenth-century cemetery located in Brisbane, Australia, a soil loading calculation equation usually employed in civil engineering is used to calculate soil vertical pressure at various depths for both child and adult graves. This cemetery was characterised by extreme vertical compression of coffin burials to the extent that human remains were sandwiched between the coffin base and lid to a thickness of just a few centimetres. Calculations determined that, because of their narrower grave shafts, the burials of children experienced between 40% (1.83 m depth) and 27% (0.91 m depth) less vertical soil pressure than those of adults buried at similar depths. Further calculations for different soil types showed that coarser grained soils such as gravel and sand exerted less vertical pressure than a similar volume of saturated clay due to the amount of air trapped between the coarser grains. It is anticipated that the equation utilised in this study could find widespread applications in the fields of archaeology, physical anthropology, forensic archaeology and cultural heritage management.

Intramural Burials of Children at Bronze Age Sites in the Southern Urals (Early 2nd Millennium Bc)*

Intramural child burials are rare in Bronze Age settlements of the Southern Urals. The study addresses this type of burial at sites associated with the Sintashta and Petrovka traditions. Their analysis generates two interpretations: one related to fertility and ancestor worship, the other to family relationships and the mentality of the people living in the Bronze Age.

Untimely death: atypical burials of children in early and late medieval Poland

This paper examines the notion of infant and child burials in early and late medieval Poland which differed significantly from the normative funerary behaviour. Particular attention is devoted to the so-called ‘atypical’ or ‘deviant’ inhumation graves that contained allegedly apotropaic objects or stones placed directly on the deceased as well as the peculiar burials of infants in ceramic vessels. In addition to discussing archaeological materials, the authors also examine historical sources and folkloristic evidence for unusual and magic practices associated with newborns in the Middle Ages.

Un posible caso de sacrificio de niños del Clásico Tardío en el área zoque: la Cueva del Lazo (Chiapas)

The excavation of the Cueva del Lazo (Ocozocoautla, Chiapas), in the Zoque region of Western Chiapas, brought to light a Late Classic context composed by eleven child burials, associated with a huge amount of perishable materials, including textiles. Despite the fact that the bioanthropological analysis didn’t detected any evidence of violent death, the interpretation of the archaeological context suggest that the children could have been the object of a sequence of sacrificial acts.

Persistent deathplaces and mobile landmarks: The Holocene mortuary and isotopic record from Wadi Takarkori (SW Libya)

Recently, a new program of territorial study was launched in the area of Wadi Takarkori (Wadi Takarkori Project, hereafter WTP), located in south-western Libya at the border with Algeria in a strategic position between the Tassili and Acacus Mountains. The core of this program was the excavation of a rock shelter together with the systematic mapping and selected excavations of stone structures in the wadi area, mainly tumuli, a typical Saharan feature.The excavations from the rock shelter provide fresh information on Holocene groups in the central Sahara and give deep insight into their funerary practices. Fifteen burials of women, juveniles and children (no adult males were found) were unearthed from a restricted part of the site. The burials belonged to different cultural phases, from sporadic evidence of Late Acacus hunter–gatherers (ca. 8000BP) throughout the Pastoral sequence (ca. 7300–4200BP).A survey in the area of Wadi Takarkori revealed the presence of several stone structures; 7 have been excavated, and 5 of them hosted human burials of adult males and juveniles of Late and Final Pastoral phases (ca. 4500–3100BP), which suggest a diversified and more articulated picture of land use during the late Holocene.The integration of archaeological and isotopic data reveals the social and ideological changes that took place in the region across the millennia. Particularly, during the Early and Middle Pastoral, herders concentrated their burials inside shelters to mark a relation between the lived-in environment and a burial space that is repeatedly used by a section of the group. This pattern reflects the idea of a persistent deathplace. During the Late Pastoral, mobile groups transferred their funerary fixtures – now stone tumuli – along the open spaces of the wadi, marking a separation between world of the living and world of the dead.

Children of Athens: the inquiry potential of classical funerary contexts

Durante o período clássico, os contextos funerários áticos abrigaram um vasto conjunto de evidências materiais, visuais e escritas associadas à criança e à infância, tem as que permaneceram inexplorados pela Arqueologia até que recentes estudos arqueológicos e bioarqueológicos começassem a delimitar um a nova subespecialidade de pesquisa. Neste artigo, centrado na discussão dos enterramentos de crianças, apresentam-se considerações preliminares sobre padrões de uso do espaço e algum as cautelas metodológicas essenciais à abordagem adequada deste material

Buried with Children: Reinterpreting Ancient Maya 'Toys'

Scholars have recently begun to acknowledge the absence of children in models of ancient societies and have increasingly incorporated the roles of children in their analyses of archaeological data. This paper provides a revaluation of the grave goods accompanying child burials at the Postclassic site of Mayapán in the Northern Yucatán. Grave goods associated with child burials have been previously interpreted as playthings used to occupy children. In light of current ethno historical and archaeological literature concerning children's roles in Mesoamerica, however, I conclude that these grave goods have been interpreted according to Western conceptions of the childhood experience rather than according to those of Maya culture. I propose that grave goods included with child burials at Mayapán functioned not only as playthings, but also as instruments through which children were socialized to become valued and productive members of society.

Child Burials in Mesolithic and Neolithic Southern Greece: A Synthesis

The treatment of children during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in southern Greece can provide us with a rare insight of age differentiations, social practices and beliefs in these early periods. The diachronic presentation and analysis of this particular group of burials will provide a better understanding of the social and conceptual changes the role of children had in these communities. Their comparison to the adult treatments provides a template on which regional and sometimes local beliefs and practices can be viewed. At the same time broader socio-economic changes can be detected, emphasising or de-emphasising symbolically the social role and importance of children and infants in the local communities.

Microcosms of Migration: Children and Early Medieval Population Movement

This paper discusses the participation of children in migration during the Viking Age. While the written evidence is limited, it, nonetheless, reveals the presence of children alongside the viking armies and their involvement in the acculturation process, especially older children. A small number of unusual Viking-Age burials of older children support the deduction drawn from the written record of the importance of this stage of the lifecycle. Finally, stable isotope analysis, especially where multiple teeth are sampled, offers new insights into migration, and reinforces the impression conveyed by the written record that children were involved in migration, and sometimes migrated on multiple occasions.

Cuerpos inhumados en vasijas del estado de Campeche

En este trabajo presentamos los resultados del proceso de microexcavación y análisis osteológico de dos entierros de sujetos infantiles, uno de edad fetal (32 a 34 semanas) y otro de alrededor de 4 años de edad en el momento de la muerte, en dos vasijas procedentes del estado de Campeche, pertenecientes al Clásico Tardío y Terminal. La excavación metódica y el registro en dibujo y fotografía, así como el estudio tafonómico, permitieron reconstruir en tercera dimensión la probable posición original en el momento de ser depositados. Asimismo, estos casos permiten ubicar otras regiones dentro de la entidad que usaron este sistema funerario, además de los ya conocidos en Jaina.

Nouvelles sépultures individuelles du Bronze ancien dans le Sud de la France : contextes et problématiques

The origin of this article lies in the discovery of two Early Bronze Age graves to the south of Toulouse (Canségala, Le Vernet, Haute-Garonne). Since the excavation (2005), some colleagues have informed us of other discoveries, which it seemed interesting to integrate and set in context. Individual graves of this period remain very rare in Languedoc and burials in jars were previously unknown. The first grave at Canségala was that of an adult, probably a woman. The burial in a jar, which concerns an infant, was placed at a distance of about 8 metres. The infant had been inserted buttocks first into a container that is no different from the domestic productions. Some elements of litter (potsherds, animal bones) from a nearby structure allow the context of their implantation to be defined. Their discovery provides material concerning a possible funerary association within a domestic area. The burial in a jar allows various influences to be evoked. The only close comparisons concern some sites in the Massif Central (Auvergne) (Loison, 2003). Such infant burials in jars can be integrated in either domestic or funerary areas. As for individual graves, they remain very rare in the South of France. The Chalcolithic tradition of multiple burials in stone cists or cavities was present until the Middle Bronze Age. The few individual graves (in silos or specific pits) do not seem to be integrated in cemeteries, but seem to be vaguely organized, maybe connected to dwelling cells, as attested in Auvergne. Concerning the chronology, graves in domestic pits seem, for the moment, to be related to the emergent phase of the Early Bronze Age, but clearly “ architectured” specific pits are also known for this period in the Rhone valley. The few known burials in jars all seem connected to a more advanced phase of the Early Bronze Age. This attribution seems to be the same on a wider scale on sites where this practice is well known, such as the prestigious site of El Argar (phase 2, 1900 to 1600 cal. BC), (Siret and Siret, 1887 ; Cauwe dir., 2003) in south-eastern Spain or for the rockshelter sites of the Adige valley, in the Italian Alps (Perini, 1971 and 1975 ; Nicolis, 1996 and 2004). One of the documents integrated in the article which concerns a funerary rockshelter site in the Provence Prealps (Les Baguarettes, Ménerbes, Vaucluse) allows a convergence to be proposed with the Italian series, which may chronologically be the earliest among the proposed comparisons. This is not sufficient to propose an Alpine origin for the phenomenon, as that domain could merely constitute a regional relay for influences from much farther afield. What complicates the search for a possible genesis is the fact that burials of young children in jars are also known locally at the end of the Neolithic… However a local origin is not convincing either, because there still remains an important documentary hiatus for the Bell-Beaker culture and the Early Bronze Age. At this stage, we can merely observe that the use of a jar as a “ burial container” for young children could have been sporadic at the end of the Neolithic before being truly ritualized through new influences during the development of the full Early Bronze Age.