Early Bronze Age Graves Research Articles

The Ambivalent Dead: Curation, Excarnation and Complex Post-mortem Trajectories in Middle and Late Bronze Age Britain

This paper sets out the results of radiocarbon, histological, and contextual analysis of human remains from non-mortuary contexts in Middle and Late Bronze Age Britain. In the latter period in particular, human bone (much of it fragmentary and disarticulated) has frequently been recovered from settlement contexts and from other locations, such as waterholes, across the wider landscape. However, the source and post-mortem trajectories of such finds are poorly understood. The results of our analyses indicate that some of these finds come from primary burials while others were the result of post-mortem processes such as excarnation. Certain fragments appear to have been curated for lengthy periods of time but there is much less evidence for deliberate curation of bone than there is in Early Bronze Age graves, although other forms of manipulation, such as cutting and shaping of bone fragments, have been recorded. In contrast to the Early Bronze Age, where it has been argued that curated bones may have belonged to venerated ancestors, some of the individuals from the sites discussed in this paper had suffered violent deaths, suggesting that bones selected for manipulation, curation, and deposition may have belonged to a variety of different categories of person.

Cranial deformation in the northwestern Caspian Sea region in the Bronze Age: Siberian parallels

AbstractThis research examined the occipitoparietal deformations of the Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia and the similarities between those deformations and head modifications among the population of the Okunev culture in Southern Siberia. The study objects used were 3D models of neurocrania from 41 individuals retrieved from Early Bronze Age graves in the northwestern Caspian Sea region and 64 individuals from the Okunev graves. Analyses, of the skull shape variations, included geometric morphometrics, generalized Procrustes analysis, and principal component analysis with visualization of morphological changes as heat maps. Statistically significant differences between the subgroups were tested by performing dispersion analysis (ANOVA) using the Geomorph package. The samples of Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia showed differences between deformed and non‐deformed skulls, as well as differences in the location of the deformed regions in both males and females. The differences between chronological groups turned out to be stronger than the difference between undeformed and deformed skulls in the Okunev samples. The next analysis focused only on the Okunev deformed skulls involving a study and assessment of the differences in the types of deformation between the early and late subgroups. The final analysis demonstrated similarities between the Bronze Age male deformed neurocrania from the northwestern Caspian Sea region and those from the early Okunev culture. The study confirmed the occipitoparietal flattening on the Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia using geometric morphometrics. This skull deformation finds analogies among deformed male neurocrania from the early chronological horizons of the Okunev culture. The similarity of head modifications in populations from different geographical regions indicates contact between these populations. This is confirmed by archaeological data and nonmetric cranial traits.

The presumed Early Bronze Age grave from the Radom Plain

In the area of Mokrzec village a human bones were accidentally discovered, along with the accompanying artefacts: small mug, products made of copper – bracelet, blade of a dagger, five tongues, bone fabricator, flint tools and blanks. It is probably a tomb from the beginning of the Bronze Age, which can be related to the early phase of the Mierzanowice culture. The inventory of the grave indicate the importance and rank of the buried man.

The Social Role of Non-metal ‘Valuables’ in Late Bronze Age Britain

Bronze Age metal objects are widely viewed as markers of wealth and status. Items of other materials, such as jet, amber and glass, tend either to be framed in similar terms as ‘prestige goods’, or to be viewed as decorative trifles of limited research value. In this paper, we argue that such simplistic models dramatically underplay the social role and ‘agentive’ capacities of objects. The occurrence of non-metal ‘valuables’ in British Early Bronze Age graves is well-documented, but their use during the later part of the period remains poorly understood. We will examine the deposition of objects of amber, jet and jet-like materials in Late Bronze Age Britain, addressing in particular their contexts and associations as well as patterns of breakage to consider the cultural meanings and values ascribed to such items and to explore how human and object biographies were intertwined. These materials are rarely found in burials during this period but occur instead on settlements, in hoards and caves. In many cases, these finds appear to have been deliberately deposited in the context of ritual acts relating to rites of passage. In this way, the role of such objects as social agents will be explored, illuminating their changing significance in the creation of social identities and systems of value.

The Corpse in the Early Bronze Age. Results of Histotaphonomic and Archaeothanatological Investigations of Human Remains from the Cemetery of Franzhausen I, Lower Austria

It has recently been suggested by British archaeologists and anthropologists that mummification may have been widespread in Bronze Age Europe. This article presents the results of a study that, for the first time, investigates the question of whether the people who inhabited central Europe during the Early Bronze Age treated the bodies of their dead prior to deposition in order to prevent decay and preserve the soft tissue. The study relies on data from the cemetery of Franzhausen I in Lower Austria. The cemetery, excavated between 1981 and 1983, contained 714 Early Bronze Age graves and two pits with human remains. A sample of 22 skeletons from 22 graves was investigated using macroscopic, post-hoc archaeothanatological, and histotaphonomic analyses. Thin sections of the femora of 18 out of 22 individuals show high degrees of microbial tunnelling resulting from extensive putrefaction processes. Thin sections of femora from four individuals show less bioerosion indicating that the microbial invasion accompanying autolysis and decomposition was arrested at an early stage of the taphonomic process. Since the femora of these four individuals are partially discoloured green we lean towards the assumption that the good preservation of the internal bone microstructure was caused by a post-depositional uptake of heavy metals eroding from copper and bronze grave goods, mediated by a coffin environment.

A geochemical study of bitumen residues on ceramics excavated from Early Bronze age graves (3000–2900 BCE) at Başur Höyük in SE Turkey

Eight black residues, scraped from outer surfaces of painted ceramics, unearthed from graves 1–3 at Başur Höyük (SE Turkey), were analysed by geochemical techniques in order to characterize bitumens and to try to identify their source. Ceramics are dated from the Early Bronze period (3100–2900 BCE). The black organic matter was indeed identified as bitumen, but its source has not been discovered despite its comparison with several oil seeps from the area. The bitumen at Başur Höyük does not match the bitumens analyzed at Kavuşan Höyük, Salat Höyük, Hakemi Use and Kuriki Höyük which are Cretaceous in origin and likely imported from the Eruh tars deposit. The stable carbon isotope values of their asphaltene fraction suggest a Silurian origin, however the occurrence of the 18α(H)-oleanane emphasized a younger source, i.e. Tertiary or Cretaceous. Our interpretation favours the mixture of two oils, a Silurian age and a Tertiary-Cretaceous age. This mixture may occur geologically, due to the uptake of a Tertiary signal by a Silurian oil along its migration route to the surface. It may also be a consequence of human activity carried out by the inhabitants at the mortuary ceremony where the bituminous mixture has been applied to ceramics, prior to their deposit in the graves. The oil seep character of the archaeological bitumen at Başur Höyük and the lack of obvious oxidation suggest the following explanation: freshly collected oil seeps were splashed on ceramics as ritual practices and the tarry potteries were then buried and therefore sealed. The fast burial prevented the bitumen from any oxidative alteration.

Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. Edited by Ann Woodward and John Hunter. 310 mm. Pp 616, 41 col figs, 7 maps, 26 charts, 158 tables, appendices, cd. Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia, 2015. isbn 9781782976943. £80 (hbk).

Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. Edited by Ann Woodward and John Hunter. 310 mm. Pp 616, 41 col figs, 7 maps, 26 charts, 158 tables, appendices, cd. Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia, 2015. isbn 9781782976943. £80 (hbk). - Volume 96

Ann Woodward & John Hunter (ed.). Ritual in Early Bronze Age grave goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. 2015. xiii+578 pages, numerous colour and b&w illustrations, tables and CD. Oxford: Oxbow; 978-1-78297-694-3 hardback £80.

Ann Woodward & John Hunter (ed.). Ritual in Early Bronze Age grave goods: an examination of ritual and dress equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in England. 2015. xiii+578 pages, numerous colour and b&w illustrations, tables and CD. Oxford: Oxbow; 978-1-78297-694-3 hardback £80.

Des dalles ornées durant le Campaniforme et l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne : mythe ou réalité ?

Il est plus ou moins acquis depuis les travaux de P. Du Chatellier qu’il existe une forme d’art à l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne dont les représentations se limiteraient à quelques dalles ornées de cupules et autres motifs simples, opinion défendue par J. Briard mais combattue par C. Burgess. Afin d’y voir plus clair, nous avons repris cette question sans a priori en nous limitant géographiquement à la Bretagne. En premier lieu, nous avons réuni le corpus des dalles ornées découvertes en contexte campaniforme ou Bronze et avons intégré celles issues de contextes probables et possibles. La moisson est plutôt maigre puisque ce sont seulement douze sépultures et un habitat qui ont livré des dalles en contexte certain du Campaniforme ou de l’âge du Bronze ancien, auxquels s’ajoutent onze cas plus incertains. Ces dalles ornées (à cupules ou à représentations figuratives) sont toutes en situation de réemploi selon des modalités variées. Les surfaces gravées sont généralement tournées vers l’extérieur mais aussi cachées vers l’intérieur des sépultures. Ces pierres décorées peuvent être réutilisées telles quelles, cassées ou réaménagées. En second lieu, la confrontation avec le corpus des dalles à cupules des sépultures néolithiques ne permet pas de dégager des types ou des agencements de cupules propres à l’âge du Bronze. On peut donc difficilement soutenir l’idée d’un développement de l’art des cupules à cette période en Bretagne ; ce qu’infirme d’ailleurs le nombre écrasant de dalles à cupules en contexte néolithique. Une large part de ces pierres ornées réutilisées dans les sépultures de l’âge du Bronze pourrait bien provenir d’affleurement à cupules ou de monuments néolithiques, comme l’attestent par ailleurs le réemploi de certaines représentations clairement néolithiques (figures anthropomorphes, haches emmanchées). Cependant, un lot de quatre dalles à cupules se distingue par leur perforation, inédite dans l’art mégalithique néolithique, et des figurations de cupules et de formes géométriques reliées entre elles, alors que les signes gravés néolithiques sont généralement placés côte à côte. Les auteurs proposent d’attribuer ce petit ensemble à l’âge du Bronze ancien, voire au Néolithique final. À cela s’ajoutent six petites dalles à cupules, découvertes sur l’habitat de Beg ar Loued comme dans le tumulus de Cruguel ; leur support modeste paraît être une originalité de l’âge du Bronze.

THE CHRONOLOGY AND STATUS OF NON NOK THA, NORTHEAST THAILAND

Excavations at Non Nok Tha, in Northeast Thailand in 1965-1968 revealed for the first time in Southeast Asia, a stratigraphic transition from the Neolithic into the Bronze Age. Based on conventional charcoal radiocarbon determinations, early reports identified fourth millennium bronze casting. The proposed length of the prehistoric sequence, and the division of the Neolithic to Bronze age mortuary sequence into at least 11 phases, has stimulated a series of social interpretations all of which have in common, a social order based on ascriptive ranking into at least two groups which saw increased hierarchical divisions emerge with the initial Bronze Age. This paper presents the results of a new dating initiative, based on the ultrafiltration of human bones. The results indicate that the initial Neolithic occupation took place during the 14th century BC. The earliest Bronze Age has been placed in the 10th centuries BC. These dates are virtually identical with those obtained for the sites of Ban Chiang and Ban Non Wat. Compared with the elite early Bronze Age graves of Ban Non Wat, Non Nok Tha burials display little evidence for significant divisions in society.

Armorican Arrowheads Biographies: Production and Function of an Early Bronze Age prestige good from Brittany (France)

Brittany can pride itself on the Armorican arrowheads found in Early Bronze Age graves (2150-1700 BC). In the present state of knowledge, these are the only specialized craft products in knapped flint produced in this region at the western edge of continental Europe. Admired since the 19th century, these flint arrowheads have never really been studied. Due to the wealth of graves and grave-goods, a relatively precise study can be undertaken of the development of these craft products, despite the low number of reliable radiocarbon dates. These arrowheads are characterized by a well-defined type (pointed tang and oblique barbs) most often combined with ogival form. Raw materials show the selection of a high quality yellow translucent flint, of which the origin has to be sought at more than 400 kilometers (Lower Turonian flint from Cher Valley). From a technical point of view, Armorican arrowheads reveal a great mastery of retouch by pressure-flaking. This skill is written in stone by the perfection of forms, the extreme thinness (until 2,5 mm thick) and very long barbs (until 25 mm long). Such work could not have been done without the use of copper, even bronze, awls. Moreover, some marks may testify to the implication of these tools. On 549 arrowheads that have reached to us, none of them presents diagnostical impact features. However, use-wear analysis indicates that most of them were hafted (adhesive traces, bright spots, blunt edges). These facts suggest that they are less functional arrowheads than objects for the show. In the graves, Armorican arrowheads are frequently set down carefully in wooden boxes taking the shaft off. The Armorican arrowheads with their exotic raw materials, their high-degree of technicality, and their absence of use, have all features of a prestige good. They have been discovered by dozens in few graves under barrows with very rich funeral items (bronze daggers decorated with golden pins, precious bracers, silver beakers, etc.). According to these obvious facts, they symbolize the power of the elites. The genesis of Armorican arrowheads are in all likelihood explained by a climate of increasing social competition, which express itself in Brittany by an individualization of burial rites, a development of metalworking and a reorganization of territories. In this article, we will stress on raw materials selection, technology and know-how, as well as use-wear analyses. All these approaches will help us to trace the biographies of the Armorican arrowheads.

Freshwater Reservoir Offsets Investigated Through Paired Human-Faunal14C Dating and Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Analysis at Lake Baikal, Siberia

Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) at Lake Baikal, Siberia. Excluding two outliers, stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values show a positive correlation(r2= 0.672,p< 0.000) with offsets in14C yr between paired human and fauna determinations. The highest offset observed in our data set is 622 yr, which is close to the value of ∼700 yr suggested for endemic seals in the lake. For each per mil increase in δ15N, the offset increases by 77 ± 10 yr in the overall data set. However, there are indications that different regression models apply in each of two microregions of Cis-Baikal. In the first, sites on the southwest shore of the lake and along the Angara River show a strong positive correlation between δ15N values and offsets in14C yr (r2= 0.814,p< 0.000). In the other, the Little Sea, both δ13C and δ15N values make significant contributions to the model (adjustedr2= 0.878; δ13Cp< 0.001; δ15Np< 0.000). This can be related to the complex13C ecology of the lake, which displays one of the widest ranges of δ13C values known for any natural ecosystem. The results will be important in terms of refining the culture-history of the region, as well as exploring the dynamic interactions of hunter-gatherer communities both synchronically and diachronically.

A multi-analytical approach to characterize an Early Bronze Age cosmetic material from Müslümantepe, Southeastern Anatolia

The present paper reports the chemical and mineralogical composition of a black pigment material contained in a Syrian Bottle-shaped vessel excavated on an Early Bronze Age grave in Muslumantepe, a site located at the right bank of the Tigris River in Southeastern Anatolia. A combination of different analytical tools like state-of-the-art non-destructive μ-XRD2, μ-XRF and μ-Raman spectroscopy compared to classical powder XRD was used to characterize the content of the bottle. The results attest the presence of a manganese mineral (pyrolusite) most probably used for cosmetic purposes. This is the first evidence, which is scientifically tested, of the earliest use of cosmetics in the Upper Tigris of Southeastern Anatolia during the Early Bronze Age period, c. 2700–2550 bc.

Bits and Pieces: early Bronze Age stone bracers from Ireland

Large numbers of bracers from Ireland were illustrated and published by Peter Harbison in 1976. In association with the preparation of a similar corpus of the bracer material from England (as part of a Birmingham University Leverhulme project on Early Bronze Age grave goods), 32 Irish bracers housed at the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, have been re-examined. Consideration of lithology showed that far more of the bracers were made from red jasper than was evident from Harbison's publication. Other rocks employed were mainly grey-brown in colour and included a few examples of porcellanite from the Group IX Neolithic axe factory sites. Detailed study of fragmentation and traces of manufacture showed that more than half of the bracers had been broken in antiquity, and then reworked for use as pendants. This article will examine all these aspects, and will compare the results with the different patterns of rock type, colour and fragmentation found in England and Scotland.

Early Bronze Age Graves at Gre Virike (Period II B): An Extraordinary Cemetery on the Middle Euphrates

Next article No AccessEarly Bronze Age Graves at Gre Virike (Period II B): An Extraordinary Cemetery on the Middle Euphrates*A. Tuba ÖkseA. Tuba ÖkseHacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey Search for more articles by this author Hacettepe University, Ankara, TurkeyPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 65, Number 1January 2006 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/504902 Views: 56Total views on this site Citations: 5Citations are reported from Crossref © 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Derya YALÇIKLI Traces of Metal Production in the Mezraa Höyük in The Early Bronze Age, Anadolu (Anatolia) (Nov 2022).https://doi.org/10.36891/anatolia.1039487A. Tuba ÖKSE Reflection on the Sunrise Positions in Early and Middle Bronze Age Extramural Cemeteries in Anatolia, ADALYA , no.2323 (Nov 2020): 59–85.https://doi.org/10.47589/adalya.837489 Timothy Matney Infant Burial Practices as Domestic Funerary Ritual at Early Bronze Age Titriş Höyük, Near Eastern Archaeology 81, no.33 (Nov 2018): 174–181.https://doi.org/10.5615/neareastarch.81.3.0174 Lauren Ristvet Travel and the Making of North Mesopotamian Polities, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 361 (Nov 2018): 1–31.https://doi.org/10.5615/bullamerschoorie.361.0001Alan M. Greaves Trans-Anatolia: Examining Turkey as a bridge between East and West, Anatolian Studies 57 (Dec 2013): 1–15.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0066154600008450

Cribra orbitalia and trace element content in human teeth from neolithic and early bronze age graves in southern Poland

Determination of element levels in bones and teeth can complement knowledge of the diagnostics and etiology of various diseases in prehistoric populations. Calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and lead (Pb) content were analyzed in teeth from human skeletons dated to 3,000–1,400 BC from Malopolska Upland loess. Levels of iron and calcium were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and lead, cadmium, and copper levels were measured using anodic stripping voltametry (ASV). Molar teeth from specimens with cribra orbitalia were selected for analyses, and teeth from specimens with no pathological changes were used as a control. No significant correlations between the content of particular elements and the tooth class, specimen age, or depth of burial pit were observed. The Fe content in specimens with cribra orbitalia is not the best measure for this disease's etiology. Thus, interelement correlations and proportions might give a better picture of the biological condition of the specimen and of the investigated groups. Am J Phys Anthropol 103:201–207, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Cribra orbitalia and trace element content in human teeth from Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves in southern Poland.

Determination of element levels in bones and teeth can complement knowledge of the diagnostics and etiology of various diseases in prehistoric populations. Calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and lead (Pb) content were analyzed in teeth from human skeletons dated to 3,000-1,400 BC from Malopolska Upland loess. Levels of iron and calcium were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and lead, cadmium, and copper levels were measured using anodic stripping voltametry (ASV). Molar teeth from specimens with cribra orbitalia were selected for analyses, and teeth from specimens with no pathological changes were used as a control. No significant correlations between the content of particular elements and the tooth class, specimen age, or depth of burial pit were observed. The Fe content in specimens with cribra orbitalia is not the best measure for this disease's etiology. Thus, interelement correlations and proportions might give a better picture of the biological condition of the specimen and of the investigated groups.

Excavations on the Cist Cemetery at Poltalloch, Argyll: 1960–62

Summary In the course of gravel working at Poltalloch, Argyll,four Early Bronze Age graves were discovered. Grave 1 was largely destroyed but Graves 2–4 produced a beaker, two food vessels and a plano-convex knife, all of which were associated with inhumation burials. The excavations were carried out as part of a larger project, not described here, which revealed an extensive occupation area, with first millennium be and later levels.