Funerary Practices Research Articles

Предметный комплекс одежды в погребальной обрядности населения Верхнего Приобья эпохи раннего железа

The article characterizes the clothing assemblage in the burial rituals of the Early Iron Age population of the Upper Ob River region. The work draws from the materials found on the Bolsherechenskaya sites of the 8th (7th) — 3rd (2nd) centuries BC. Using this archaeological material, the author examines the event-driven sacralized actions with items of clothing at the stage preceding the burial, and directly during its implementation. The complex of these actions is subdivided into actions associated with symbolic damage to things; actions associated with a change in the symbolic status of things and actions that mark the high symbolic status of things. The clothing assemblage, revealed during the study of the burial, is differentiated into truly aesthetic and symbolically significant things. Whole things, as a rule, related to objects of art, are found in characteristic places of their lifetime use. Things with a symbolic status changed during the funerary rite are recorded in an unusual topographic context. Event sacralization can be viewed as an adaptive strategy for integrating things and ideas into the funerary practice of a multicultural community, consisting of certain ethno-territorial groups “with a consanguineous or neighboring type of community”.

ПРОДОЛЖЕНИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ ПОГРЕБЕНИЙ ХУННУ НА АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОМ КОМПЛЕКСЕ ИХ НУУЛЭГТ В СЕВЕРНОЙ МОНГОЛИИ: ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНОЕ СООБЩЕНИЕ

In 2021, excavations continued at the Ikh nuulegt archaeological complex, which consists of several Xiongnu burial sites and is located in Orkhontuul somon in Selenge aimag of Mongolia. As a result of the work carried out, four burials at the Ikh nuulegt-I and Ikh nuulegt-III sites were investigated. All the burial mounds had traces of looting incursions. This circumstance affected the preservation of the gravestones and intra-grave structures. Clearing at different levels and detailed fixation allowed the features of the funerary practices of the ancient nomadic population of the Xiongnu empire to be restored. In addition to human bones, osteological remains from animals as well as remains of funerary implements were discovered.

Life of the Death System: Tracing Sustainable Transitions in American Funeral Practices

Life of the Death System: Tracing Sustainable Transitions in American Funeral Practices

Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo, ed., Social Inequality in Early Medieval Europe: Local Societies and Beyond. Collection Haut Moyen Âge, 39. Turnhout, Belgium, 2020. 360 pp.

Abstract This collection of articles grew out of a 2016 symposium, “Archaeology of Social In­equality in Early Medieval Europe,” that honored the interdisciplinary work of historian Chris Wickham, who also provides the conclusion to this publication while J. A. Quirós Castillo wrote the introduction. The topic of social inequality in this context refers to the creation of the state, followed by the development of class systems, the basis of social inequality. Here the historian and the archaeologist join in a common effort to examine the beginnings and evolution of social inequality through both documentary evidence, and material evidence, ranging from pottery fragments to funeral practices. This collection focuses on the Iberian Peninsula with the occasional foray into Italy, one article on France, one on Portugal, and one on Mississippian culture.

"ЭТО БЫЛ (НЕ)ПРАВИЛЬНЫЙ ОБЫЧАЙ": РИТУАЛ ПОДНЯТИЯ ЛЕВОЙ РУКИ В ТАНАТОЛОГИЧЕСКОМ ДИСКУРСЕ ЧЕРКЕСОВ ДИАСПОРЫ

The custom of raising the left hand has been preserved until recently in the thanatological practices of one of the Circassian diaspora communities in Turkey (Uzunyayla – Kayseri). According to the stereotypical narrative descriptions of the ritual, one of the groups arriving at the funeral slowly steps forward, taking three steps from the left foot, and slowly raises the left wrist to the level of the chin, temple, or crown. By raising his hand, the condolent publicly expresses the recognition of the social status of the deceased. According to informants, in the late 1980s, the custom was eradicated under the pressure from the Islamic clergy. Those who opposed its cessation understood this custom as a sacred one ‘brought from the ancestral homeland’ and bequeathed by Zhabagi Kazanoko (the folkloric and historical hero, philosopher, humanist and reformer of the 18th century). The idea of “reviving” the ritual was initiated during the pandemic, when mass gatherings and physical contacts (handshakes and embraces, which are common in ordinary funeral practices) were prohibited. In particular, in relation to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Caucasian War (celebrated by the Circassian community annually on May 21), it was proposed to hold an online campaign for posting photos with a raised left hand. The explicit and hidden strategies of actualizing the ritual of raising the left hand as “our own”, “the primordial” and ‘undeservedly forgotten one’ are analyzed in this work on the material of the texts of classical folklore (heroic legends) and memoranda recorded by the author during fieldwork, as well as posts on the social media. The main aim of the research is to show how the bearers of the tradition reproduce (verbally and visually) the stable and changeable structures of a narrative / a ritual under the influence of certain ideological dominants.

«Psalm» of the Doukhobors Javakheti «Uzrekh Mnogo Narodu» as a Typical Example of the Genre

Psalm «Uzrekh mnogo narodu» is the most important in the liturgical and funeral practices of the Doukhobors of Javakheti. Its text, containing nine Evangelical Beatitudes, borrowed from the Orthodox Typicon, conveys the most important Christian values, which observance helps to achieve the Heavenly Kingdom. The features of musical style of the psalm (composition, scale, intonation, rhythmic) are characteristic also of other samples of a genre. The musical stanzas are of considerable length. The composition is characterized by the complexity of the principles of coordination of poetic text and melody. The wide chant of syllables is one of the genre and style features. In the development of the tune, the trichord musical phrase (a-c1-d1) plays a leading role, which varies and repeats many times. The question of the origin of the Dukhobor psalm genre is still open, but its links with Orthodox culture at the level of texts and of principles of inclusion in ritual, at the level of tune with narrative genres of musical folklore are obvious

Погребения с изделиями из шелка эпохи Золотой Орды: проблемы интерпретации

Introduction. The Golden Horde epoch in the East European steppe was marked, among other things, by the emergence of urban culture in the region. The urban centers and, first of all, the Golden Horde capital in the Lower Volga were the seats of the ruling elite, but also the centers of trade and crafts people coming from all over the places. Around the towns, there were cemeteries with hundreds of burials that were opened and examined by specialists. In the steppe, near the bank of the river, the Golden Horde epoch is represented by a limited number of burials scattered among a variety of kurgan groups. The article aims to examine Golden Horde burials which comprise silk items; these Volga-Manych sites have previously been part of the studies of steppe elite burials. Materials and methods. The grave goods of most sites in question comprised weaponry, ceramics, and animal bones, the traces of funeral feasts, while luxury items were few. Of much interest in this respect are a Volga-Manych series of Golden Horde burials that comprised silk items. According to numerous data of the written sources, silk was equaled to gold in the medieval time. The fact that the Volga-Manych nomads had clothes made of silk was not only the evidence of their high social status and wealth but also a mark that they were the subjects of the Mongolian Empire. Results. In the burials under study, the silk finds were exclusively the clothing and headdress items of the buried. The fabric originated from the eastern (China, Egypt) and western (Byzantium) production centers. Remains of silk products were found both in the burials of men and women. These were both latitudinal-oriented graves, in which the buried were laid with their heads to the west, and meridionally-oriented graves, with the person’s head to the north. According to the present authors, the latter type may be interpreted as a feature characteristic of ethnic Mongolians’ funeral practice, while the former type graves were those of the Polovtsy and other Turkic-speaking groups.

Princely Funerals in Europe 1400–1700: Commemoration, Diplomacy and Political Propaganda edited by Monique Chatenet, Murielle Gaude-Ferragu, and Gérard Sabatier

<i>Princely Funerals in Europe 1400–1700: Commemoration, Diplomacy and Political Propaganda</i> edited by Monique Chatenet, Murielle Gaude-Ferragu, and Gérard Sabatier

Investigating intentionality of burning through macroscopic taphonomy in complex legacy funerary assemblages: Opportunities and challenges

Although there has been extensive experimental research on the thermal modification of bone, the results have rarely been applied to complex legacy funerary assemblages. The human skeletal remains from an Early Bronze Age IA tomb at Jericho were analysed to assess the utility of macroscopic taphonomic approaches both to interpreting intentionality in complex funerary practices involving the burning of human bones, and in understanding legacy assemblages that often lack the depth of contextual information available for their modern counterparts. These analyses generated valuable evidence for the interpretation of complex funerary practices in legacy assemblages, including the state of remains prior to burning, the approximate intensity of thermal modification and the deposition practice. This investigation highlights the value of non-destructive macroscopic taphonomic analysis as the foundation in the investigation of burning in complex legacy assemblages.

The collective burials of Provence in the long term

Natural cavities, dolmens and hypogees are the three main categories of tombs containing collective burials. The choice of natural cavities with limited space results from the rules of management of the dead which also prevail in dolmens and in most hypogees. Certain original characteristics of the Provençal dolmens, the same material that they share with the other types of tomb and their limited distribution in certain territories, argue in favour of the creation of these tombs by the local populations under the influence of an exogenous ideology. The large number of individuals deposited in the hypogees, the preserved completeness of the skeletons and the abundant material distinguish some of these tombs from the other categories and lead us to think of a management where the attention is paid more to the individual than to the group. Understanding the multiple facets of the functioning of collective burials over time is not an easy task. One must have at one's disposal a panel of examples of funerary sites resulting from methodical and well-documented excavations to attempt a rational approach to funerary practices. Provence benefits from a few recent or fairly recent cases of excavations of collective burials in shelters, hypogees or dolmens, used at different periods of the Neolithic. They have provided a series of information allowing certain aspects of sepulchral management systems to be identified. Thus, with the help of recent radiocarbon dating, it has been possible to identify permanent features in burials from different periods, linked to the structuring of space and the codification of certain operating rules, as well as variants of these rules and their loosening in the recent Final Neolithic phase. Also at the end of this period, the even more restricted spaces presented by the new forms of architecture tend to reduce the number of burials. The unstructured architecture of the Provençal tumuli represents the ultimate evolution of built tombs. These burials no longer seem to be designed to accommodate several individuals but only one, even if later, very often, other individuals were buried there.

Dolmens, sepulchral caves and hypogea in Provence

This contribution concerns the regional administrative entity of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the south of Drôme. A cartographic analysis looking for possible territorial and geographical specificities allowed us to identify some trends: the distribution of cave burials is not proportional to the density of natural cavities; the distribution zones of dolmens and caves are not exclusive; hypogees, strongly dependent on suitable rocks for their excavation, were chosen as burials in a very limited sector. On the other hand, as the documentation is very unequal for the 262 collective burials selected, the comparison of funerary practices according to architectural type unfortunately remains an open question.

Ethnoarchaeology of funeral practices: aspects of the management of current dolmens and collective tombs in the tribal societies of Sumba Island (Indonesia)—abridged version

This article presents an ethnoarchaeological study which aims to identify the main characteristics of the practice of collective burial among traditional societies on the island of Sumba (Indonesia). The results also show how the data collected can lead us to modify our understanding of Neolithic collective tombs in European records. These societies are the last in the world to build megalithic monuments intended to be used as collective tombs. Knowledge of the social and religious background and of the subjective experience of the individuals involved is, in this case, the main asset of the ethnoarchaeological approach. Within the systematic study of a village a large number of “biographies” of dolmens were established. The main results are the following: first, the simultaneous use of several collective burials by the same reference group (in the case of Sumba the lineage) could be identified, which led us to propose the notion of a dolmen “pool”; second, a reflection on the causes of the interruptions (temporal hiatus) observed in the use of Neolithic collective tombs could be proposed; third, an initial assessment of the potential contribution of the Sumbanian reference system with regard to the interpretation of the results of paleogenomic studies (those oriented towards the analysis of kinship links) of Neolithic tombs could be established.

Les rites funéraires en Égypte ancienne et chez quelques ethnies africaines aujourd’hui : éclairage des auteurs grecs

This paper deals with ancient Egyptians, Sereers, Diolas, Dogons, Mossis who tried to find solace in the face of the pain and emptiness of death. So they came to perceive the latter as a continuation of human existence in another world and in another form with the hope of one day seeing their deceased parents again. However, this belief did not prevent them from adopting funeral attitudes and practices, the study of some of which plunges us into the heart of funerals in ancient Egypt, as this study reveals.

An infant burial from Arma Veirana in northwestern Italy provides insights into funerary practices and female personhood in early Mesolithic Europe

The evolution and development of human mortuary behaviors is of enormous cultural significance. Here we report a richly-decorated young infant burial (AVH-1) from Arma Veirana (Liguria, northwestern Italy) that is directly dated to 10,211–9910 cal BP (95.4% probability), placing it within the early Holocene and therefore attributable to the early Mesolithic, a cultural period from which well-documented burials are exceedingly rare. Virtual dental histology, proteomics, and aDNA indicate that the infant was a 40–50 days old female. Associated artifacts indicate significant material and emotional investment in the child’s interment. The detailed biological profile of AVH-1 establishes the child as the earliest European near-neonate documented to be female. The Arma Veirana burial thus provides insight into sex/gender-based social status, funerary treatment, and the attribution of personhood to the youngest individuals among prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups and adds substantially to the scant data on mortuary practices from an important period in prehistory shortly following the end of the last Ice Age.

Les rites funéraires en Égypte ancienne et chez quelques ethnies africaines aujourd’hui : éclairage des auteurs grecs

This paper deals with ancient Egyptians, Sereers, Diolas, Dogons, Mossis who tried to find solace in the face of the pain and emptiness of death. So they came to perceive the latter as a continuation of human existence in another world and in another form with the hope of one day seeing their deceased parents again. However, this belief did not prevent them from adopting funeral attitudes and practices, the study of some of which plunges us into the heart of funerals in ancient Egypt, as this study reveals.

Child burials in domestic contexts at an Iron Age hillfort: The Oppidum of Monte Bernorio (Villarén, Palencia)

The practice of child burials underneath house floors in the Late Prehistory has been considered a characteristic trait of the Iberian religion. However, this custom has also been documented in different archaeological sites both in the Mediterranean and Central Europe as well as Celtic areas of the Iberian Peninsula, so we can explain this funerary practice by an Indo-European origin. We report the archeotanatological and osteoarcheological study of 10 subadults found in the Iron Age site of Monte Bernorio oppidum, the first archeological site in the western and central Cantabrian region with this funerary rite documented. It is the confirmation of both, the survival of an ancient funerary ritual, widely extended in all Europe, and its presence in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. We also review all the archeological sites in the Iberian Peninsula with similar archeological contexts and analyse the rite from the bioarcheology of the care.

Insights into the Funerary Practices in the Dolmen of Cabecinha (Figueira da Foz, Portugal)

The dolmen of Cabecinha in the region of Figueira da Foz (Coimbra, Portugal) was excavated at the end of the 19th century by António dos Santos Rocha. This tomb belongs to a Megalithic necropolis of c. 21 dolmens in Western-Central Portugal and was explored and published between 1880 and 1909. The aim of this contribution is to present the human bone collection of the Megalitho da Cabecinha, cross-referencing this data with the original available documentation from the excavation and the chronology obtained from direct radiocarbon dating of a human bone fragment. This approach is adopted to get insights into the funerary practices, and the biological and pathological profiles of the individuals deposited in the dolmen. The most relevant information obtained pertains to the mortuary behaviour, where a unique funerary practice for this Megalithic necropolis was identified. In each corner of the irregular polygonal chamber, an adult individual was deposited in crouching or squatting position in sandy sediment and surrounded by small flat limestone slabs. All but one individual was associated with votive items.

Sepulchral use of caves in Lusatian culture: Evidence from the Sąspówka Valley in the Polish Jura

Funeral and ritual practices in cave sites during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age have been recognised in multiple sites south of the Carpathians. This paper presents the first evidence for the funeral and ritual use of cave sites with such chronology north of the Carpathians. Unburned human remains dated to Ha B and Ha C/D have been identified in two cave sites (Zbójecka Cave and Bramka Rockshelter) located 500 m apart, in the Polish Jura. Additionally, a pottery deposit dated to Ha B2-C has been found in a third cave (Ciasna Cave) situated near the aforementioned sites. The paper analyses these finds in the context of the local Lusatian culture settlement and the already recognised traces of Lusatian cave site use in the studied karstic region. The results give ground to search for more evidence of ritual cave use in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.

Природные катаклизмы 1120-х гг. и население запада Новгородской земли

The change in the burial rite and introduction of new funerary practices are explained by Christianization of the populace and appearance of a Christian community. In studies of the emergence of medieval Rus’ burial rite, a feature is discriminated with regard to continuation of the tradition of raising burial mounds. The earliest phase of the formation of the medieval mortuary rites still remains poorly studied since there are practically no reliably dated sites before the mid-11th century. After this date, we find inhumations across the Novgorod Land documenting different variations in the rite but which nevertheless keep within the frame of the Christian norms. As the main rules on the rite of interment set by the Church were complied with, some details of the mortuary practice not regulated by the Orthodox canonic law continued to evolve, drawing on the pre-Christian tradition. Of these, raising of burial mounds was the most prominent. Differences in the method of construction of the burial mounds indicate a partial change in the population which took place in the western area of the Novgorod Land in the second half of the 12th century. Throughout the 13 th century, across this region, the funerary rite becomes much more uniform. Everywhere the kurgan-zhalnik and flat zhalnik cemeteries become widespread. The emergence of a new form of burials may be associated with migration of the population. The reason for the migration, in my opinion, could be the famine that happened in the Novgorod land in the late 1120s.

Is it hot enough? A multi-proxy approach shows variations in cremation conditions during the Metal Ages in Belgium

Studies of funerary practices provide information about many aspects of death in past societies. However, only limited archaeological evidence documents the circumstances under which cremations occurred and the person(s) who were performing the funerary rituals. Lying at the border between Atlantic and Continental cultural traditions, the Scheldt and Meuse basins of Belgium represent a unique location to investigate variations in ancient pyre technology and body management, as well as the transfer of knowledge related to cremation techniques during the Metal Ages (ca. 2100-52 BCE). The combined use of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of different skeletal elements from cremation deposits from four archaeological sites clearly shows differences between the Meuse and Scheldt basins. Different wood availability or selection, and variations in the skills and/or experience of the cremation operator may explain these results. These observed differences are likely linked to ways in which cremation was performed in the two basins, indicating that during the Metal Ages, burning processes were not homogeneous in the Belgian region. Instead, cremation practices appear to align with the different cultural influences also observed in ceramics and bronze artifacts from the same time period. These observed differences in funerary practices between the two basins in Belgium show the immense potential of combining infrared and carbon and oxygen isotope analyses to investigate cremation rituals in any period and region around the world.