Funeral Rites Research Articles

Soil biochemical inticators of initial presence of fat in different archaeological contexts

The article proposes a new biochemical approach for the reconstruction of the initial presence of fat-containing products in different archaeological contexts (ceramic vessels from burials, soil samples in different parts of the skeleton and cultural layers of archaeological sites) based on the study of qualitative and quantitative changes in the parameters of the soil microbial community, namely, specific groups of microorganisms (lipolytics), a number of lipolytic enzymes, as well as the utilization spectrum of readily available low molecular weight sub-strates. Ground samples of the studied objects were collected in the following regions: ceramic vessels — the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania and the Chechen Republic; burials — Krasnodar Krai; the cultural layer of the settlement — Lipetsk region. The number of lipolytic microorganisms and the level of enzymatic activity in the soil directly depend on the amount of the incoming substrate, in the decomposition of which they participate. After the decomposition of organic residues in the soil, a microbial and enzyme pools are formed, which can persist for a long period. The obtained preliminary data on the study of the decomposition dynamics of fatty substrates give us possibility for the reconstruction of the initial presence of fat in different archaeological contexts using the methods of soil microbiology and biochemistry. But, for a more accurate extrapolation of the results of a model experiment to archaeological objects, more points of observation in time are needed, since the introduction of substrates with different properties and composition can provoke microbial community succession in different ways. Hence, the equilibrium state of the microbial community in each variant of the experiment will be reached at different times. However, the results of the study of soils and cultural layers of archaeological sites of Bronze Age and early me-dieval time have convincingly shown the possibility of applying our approach. As we assumed, the maximum li-pase activity was found in the soil samples under the skull, chest and pelvis, i.e. in areas of human body with the highest content of fat tissues. This showed the possibility for reconstruction the original contents of the vessels from burials using the methods of soil microbiology and biochemistry. A high number of lipolytic microorganisms and lipase activity were detected only in 15–20 % of the vessels. We suggest that fat food may not have been as widely used in the funeral rite as ritual food. The study of lipase activity made it possible to clarify the features of the economic usage of the territory of archaeological site, to identify possible places for cooking.

MS On İkinci Yüzyıl / MS On Sekizinci Yüzyılda Rusya'nın Güneyinde, Dağıstan Bölgesindeki Derbend Şehri Mezarlığındaki İslami Mezar Taşları: "Biçim ve İçerik Çalışması”

This research presents a descriptive study of Islamic Gravestones illustrated catalogue in Derbend cemetery of Dāġhastān dating to before the end of the twelfth century AH / Eighteenth century AD (all dates are specified as either Years of Hijrah or Persian calendar with numbers). Where it turns out there are approximately 43 gravestones have been registered in 3 locations: in Derbend Cemetery; Kīrkẖliyār or Narin-Kala, Dūl-Dūl, and Šaykẖ Ṣalāḥ. No Gravestones found inside mosques, museums, and through the results of archaeological excavations date back to the 12th century AH/ 18th AD century. Previously uncovered were some fragments of Gravestones unearthed from previous excavations. For the types have found in the museums and shrines, are not dated to the same time, and dates back to the early decade of the 19th-century. The Archeological field survey of Derbend cemetery, the ethnographic and cultural recording, material Sources and the uses of gravestones, Funerary Rituals and Practices and Combination tombs have been done by the author Muḥammad Nasir Ismail during the Visitation of Derbend cemetery. Followed by Reading the content and completing translation from original Arabic, Persian and Turkish-Dāġhastān texts to modern English, This was followed by additional proofreading of Arabic translations and original

Legal regulation of the funeral process in Russia during the 18th–19th centuries epidemics

The fundamental foundations of human culture should include funeral and memorial rites, which reflect the life cycle of an ethnic group. In emergency situations, there are changes in the habitual image of people and the concentration of public attention on the ritual sphere. Epidemics that differ in the scale of mortality can be considered to be such situations. The article examines the influence of epidemics on the funeral process in Russia on the basis of the analysis of the 18th–19th centuries normative legal acts. According to the author, at the first stages of the development of epidemic diseases, people tried to adhere to the traditional rules of burial of the deceased. However, with the increase in the number of deceased, the state imposed restrictions that also applied to the funeral process. The paper considers the stages of the funeral process and its features during the 18th–19th centuries epidemics – simplification of the preparation and transportation of the body to the burial site, changing the term, time and place of burial, formal performance of ritual practices. Special attention is paid to the reaction of the population to the prohibitions imposed by the authorities. The article formulates the main conclusion that after large-scale epidemics, there had been a transformation of the funeral process, which the 18th–19th centuries Russian legislation reflected.

On the forms, contributions and impacts of community mobilisation involved with Kerala's COVID-19 response: Perspectives of health staff, Local Self Government institution and community leaders.

Kerala, a south Indian state, has a long and strong history of mobilisation of people's participation with institutionalised mechanisms as part of decentralisation reforms introduced three decades ago. This history formed the backdrop of the state's COVID-19 response from 2020 onwards. As part of a larger health equity study, we carried out an analysis to understand the contributions of people's participation to the state's COVID-19 response, and what implications this may have for health reform as well as governance more broadly. We employed in-depth interviews with participants from four districts of Kerala between July and October, 2021. Following written informed consent procedures, we carried out interviews of health staff from eight primary health care centres, elected Local Self Government (LSG, or Panchayat) representatives, and community leaders. Questions explored primary health care reforms, COVID responses, and populations left behind. Transliterated English transcripts were analysed by four research team members using a thematic analysis approach and ATLAS.ti 9 software. For this paper, we specifically analysed codes and themes related to experiences of community actors and processes for COVID mitigation activities. A key feature of the COVID-19 response was the formation of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), groups of lay community volunteers, who were identified and convened by LSG leaders. In some cases, pre-pandemic 'Arogya sena' (health army) community volunteer groups were merged with RRTs. RRT members were trained and supported by the health departments at the local level to distribute medicine and essential items, provided support for transportation to health facilities, and assisted with funerary rites during lockdown and containment period. RRTs often comprised youth cadres of ruling and opposition political parties. Existing community networks like Kudumbashree (Self Help Groups) and field workers from other departments have supported and been supported by RRTs. As pandemic restrictions eased, however, there was concern about the sustainability of this arrangement as well. Participatory local governance in Kerala allowed for the creation of invited spaces for community participation in a variety of roles as part of the COVID 19 response, with manifest impact. However, the terms of engagement were not decided by communities, nor were they involved more deeply in planning and organising health policy or services. The sustainability and governance features of such involvement warrant further study.

«Девиантные» захоронения ранних кочевников Южного Урала (вторая половина VI – IV в. до н.э.)

Burials that are different in a number of ways from the traditional funeral rite for any society under consideration are typically referred to as “deviant”, “non-standard”, “extraordinary” or “atypical”. The article discusses ‘deviant’ burials of the Early nomads in the Southern Urals during the second half of the 6th and 4th centuries BC. This paper has two purposes: the first is to study these burials by analyzing their context and the second goal is to identify and interpret the reasons of their construction. The features of the “non-standard” funeral rite of the nomads have been distinguished by contextual analysis. The main result of the study is the identification of the main types of “deviant” burials found in the burial sites of the Early nomads, the appearance of which could have been influenced by many reasons related both to the system of beliefs and worldviews of the society under consideration, as well as by personal circumstances of life or death. Possible reasons for building “deviant” burials could have been the following: special social status of the buried individual, fear of the dead in the community, various rituals associated with human sacrifices or burials of “strangers’. It is also possible that the “deviant” burials could be associated with some external factors that led to refusal of the community to bury the dead using traditional practices and normative rites., it is necessary use a number of additional sources for further comprehensive study in order to identify the reasons for designing the “deviant” burials.

‘To our earthly view Dietrich is dead’: George Bell's Eulogy for Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This article considers the eulogy given by George Bell, then bishop of Chichester, at the London remembrance service held in July 1945 for Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bell's eulogy offers a unique form of marking a death. On the one hand he presented a traditional biography of Bonhoeffer, whilst at the same time he depicted Bonhoeffer's life as not over, but as having moved into a stage of glorified martyrdom. The article explores how Bell argued that Bonhoeffer's death offered the potential for life to a post-war Europe, raising issues with van Gennep's understanding of the relationship between the living and a dead person who had had no proper funerary rites. The article thus seeks to explain how Bell marked Bonhoeffer's death by presenting him as a man, a potential assassin and a martyr, in an attempt to secure an eternal earthly legacy for a man Bell believed had offered the world life through his death. The article is followed by an edition of the text of Bell's eulogy in full.

Front and back cover caption, volume 39 issue 3

Front and back cover caption, volume 39 issue 3ROBOTIC BUDDHIST FUNERAL PRIESTSHumanoid robot ‘Pepper’, produced by SoftBank Robotics, debuts to great fanfare in 2017 in its new role as a Buddhist priest and funeral attendant at ENDEX, the Japanese funeral and cemetery industry convention. Alongside AR grave design programs, eco‐urns and ash jewellery, Pepper is one of many striking, experimental products and services aimed at reinvigorating and reinventing Japan's ‘ending industry’.In a country with a rapidly aging population, Japan is facing a crisis in how to handle death. Traditional Buddhist funeral rites are becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to find, and many families are looking for new ways to say goodbye to their loved ones.One possible solution is the use of robotic Buddhist priests. These robots are programmed to chant sutras, lead prayers and perform other traditional funeral rituals. They are also much cheaper than human priests, making them an attractive option for families on a budget.The use of robotic priests is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way death is handled in Japan. By providing a more affordable and accessible option for funeral services, robots could help to ensure that everyone has a dignified send‐off, regardless of their financial situation.These interventions respond to the weakening of traditional Buddhist death rites and the socio‐religious structures that once supported them.THE FIRST BLACK STUDENT IN ANTHROPOLOGYJames Arthur Harley (1873‐1943), a talented polymath with a degree from Harvard University, arrived in Edwardian England in 1907 and enrolled in the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford to pursue a Diploma in Anthropology. Unfortunately, the curriculum at the time perpetuated racist ideologies that portrayed and thought of black people as intellectually inferior, exotic, sub‐species, sub‐human – savage. However, Harley's presence at Britain's world‐renowned university, a bastion of white elite privilege, prestige and class, was not unique.Thirty‐four years earlier in 1873, Christian Frederick Cole (1853‐1885) from Sierra Leone became the university's first black scholar when he matriculated at University College, aged 21, to read for an honours degree in Classical Moderations, going on to achieve the august status of Britain's first black barrister.Harley, an Antiguan scholar, completed the course and became the first black man to earn the diploma. In so doing, he, like many black scholars at the University of Oxford, from Alain LeRoy Locke (1885‐1954), the first black Rhodes scholar, later known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance, to Kofoworola Moore (1913‐2002), the first black woman to receive a degree in 1932, all obliterated the preconceived racist‐held ideologies with their achievements and later contributions.Anthropology continuously evolves and adapts to the changes humans experience in this world. Through the presence of Harley and his fellow pioneers in these institutions, we see how they gradually evolve and reframe how black students are viewed. These early students were change agents and perhaps instigators of decolonized curricula and forged a path for other black students to follow.

Culture and pandemic control at cross-roads: navigating the burial guidelines for COVID-19-related deaths in a Ghanaian setting

BackgroundDespite the large volume of scientific evidence on the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated high morbidity and mortality, little is known about the sociocultural disruptions which ensued. The current study explored the nuanced navigation of the COVID-19-related death and burial protocols and its impact on traditional burial and funeral rites in Ghana.MethodsThis qualitative study was based on the ‘focused’ ethnographic design. Data were collected using key informant interviews from nineteen COVID-19-related bereaved family members and public health officials involved in enforcing adherence to COVID-19-related death and burial protocols in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Central region of Ghana. Recursive analysis was conducted to generate the themes and sub-themes from the data.ResultsThe overarching theme was “Uncultural” connotations ascribed to the COVID-19-related death and burial protocols. The COVID-19-related death and burial protocols were ubiquitously deemed by participants to be ‘uncultural’ as they inhibited deep-rooted indigenous and eschatological rites of separation between the living and the dead. This was fueled by limited awareness and knowledge about the COVID-19 burial protocols, resulting in fierce resistance by bereaved family members who demanded that public health officials release the bodies of their deceased relatives. Such resistance in the midst of resource limitation led to negotiated compromises of the COVID-19-related death and burial protocols between family members and public health officials.ConclusionsInsensitivity to socio-cultural practices compromised the implementation of the COVID-19 pandemic control interventions, particularly, the COVID-19-related death and burial protocols. Some compromises that were not sanctioned by the protocols were reached to allow health officials and families respectfully bury their dead. These findings call for the need to prioritize the incorporation of sociocultural practices in future pandemic prevention and management strategies.

Northern Wei Tombs in the Vicinity of Guyuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China

Purpose of this article is to characterize the tombs of the Northern Wei period discovered in the vicinity of Guyuan City, analyze the specifics of the funeral rite of these complexes and define the factors that influenced its formation.Results. The possibility of studying the funeral rite of the Northern Wei period in Guyuan is limited by the small number of known complexes, the fragmentary nature of the materials that have reached our days due to tombs looting, and the lack of scientific publications on some complexes. The tombs known to date are not numerous (only seven tombs have been discovered so far), but varied in design features and the composition of the grave goods, which is explained by the chronological distance and differences in the ethnic and cultural identity and the social status of the tomb occupants. The earliest tombs near Shiwacun Village in Xinji Township show similarities to the tombs of the period of the Sixteen Barbarian States. The burials of ordinary Xianbei who moved to the Guyuan region after its conquest by the Northern Wei testify to the preservation of their own traditions and the insignificant influence of Chinese (Han) culture on their funerary practices.Conclusion. The funeral rite of the Northern Wei tombs in Guyuan, on the one hand, inherits the burials of the Sixteen Barbarian States era, on the other hand, serves as the basis for the funeral rite evolution of the subsequent periods of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou.

Reshaping Egyptian funerary ritual in colonized Nubia? Organic characterization of unguents from mortuary contexts of the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE)

Samples taken from the canopic jars of Djehutyhotep, chief of Tehkhet (Debeira), Lower Nubia, and local versions of Egyptian canopic jars from Sai, Upper Nubia, suggest that the materials used for mortuary ritual unguents in Nubia may have differed from those used in Egypt. Nubian samples consisted of plant gum and bitumen, whereas those from Egypt conformed to the standardizing black resinous liquid recipe used for mummification and other funerary rituals. However, there may be time frame issues to be considered as most samples analyzed from Egypt date to later periods. A standard black funerary liquid was used at Amara West, Upper Nubia, probably poured over a wrapped body, which might suggest that the gum and bitumen mixture was reserved for filling canopic jars, perhaps indicating that the use of canopic jars in Nubia differed from their use in Egypt. Evidence from the canopic jars of Djehutyhotep, local versions of canopic jars from Sai, and the sample from Amara West also indicate a source of bitumen that was not the Dead Sea, which was the main (although not only) source used in Egypt. The new results from the analysis of the Djehutyhotep canopic jars and previously published results from Sai point towards alternative ritual practices associated with local conceptions and uses of canopic jars in colonized Nubia. These samples and data from Amara West further reveal that the bitumen used in mortuary contexts in Nubia originated elsewhere than bitumen used in Egypt, which might have implications for our understanding of colonized Nubia as part of other trade networks independently from Egypt.

From a ‘good death’ to a ‘calm heart’: Buddhist retailing meets self-care in contemporary Japan

ABSTRACT This article explores how vendors of Buddhist goods, which are traditionally associated with death and funerary rites in Japan, have responded to religious decline by venturing into alternative spirituality, wellness, and home décor markets. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork within Buddhist goods stores, I examine how retailers and artisans have begun re-orientating their business models and product lines from caring for the dead at acute moments of spiritual transition to caring for the living in their everyday conditions of loneliness and stress. By pushing products that generate affects of healing (iyashi) and a calm heart (kokoro), these actors forge a new corporate–spiritual philosophy and religious consumer subjectivity and, in so doing, seek to defend their market share and social relevance in an age of secularism, disconnection, and precarity. However, for commercial actors, the space between religion and spirituality can be surprisingly treacherous and this transition challenges their skills of ‘affective retailing’.

A tergo

This essay reflects on Bersani’s sexually explicit, homosexually specific writings about sex from the vantage of sexual positioning, which can itself be thought of as complexly gendered, corporeally and psychically. Whereas gay male sex in the missionary position is the centerpiece of Bersani’s famous essay “Is the Rectum a Grave?,” Homos, the no less polemical book that follows it, also theorizes another position: coitus a tergo, the approach to what is behind from behind. Through a reading of Genet’s wartime erotic novel Funeral Rites, which is replete with a tergo couplings, Bersani makes his case for the transportive value of nonrelational sex, while retaining an indicatively male-male erotic specificity. These theorizations also open onto a noncastrative rereading of the Wolf Man’s story, which likewise turns on coitus a tergo, offering a gay rereading that, this essay suggests, points to a possibility of relationality.

Anatomy of Torture by Ron E. Hassner

Reviewed by: Anatomy of Torture by Ron E. Hassner Ryan M. Welch (bio) Ron E. Hassner, Anatomy of Torture (Cornell University Press 2022), ISBN 9781501762031, 200 pages. Torture works (sometimes). That rather non-committal declaration might risk me being labelled pro-torture by some. At least, that’s the feeling I get from my past experiences. For example, early in my graduate school career, a heavy-hitter scholar visited our department. He graciously took a few graduate students to coffee at our campus café. There he told a story detailing the impossibility of publishing a paper that showed state torture levels correlated with fewer terror [End Page 347] attacks in the future. Reviewers and/ or editors, it seemed, could not bring themselves to publish something that empirically showed torture may be in any way efficacious. This anecdote meshed well with my experience in a graduate seminar the following year with the rather uncomfortable title, the Ethics of Torture, where I found myself wondering aloud to the class about torture’s ability to compel people to divulge information they would rather keep secret. The looks on the students’ faces in the decidedly anti-torture class made me wonder if I had become a torture apologist just for considering it. If only Ron E. Hassner’s Anatomy of Torture had been available a decade sooner. In the book, he sets out to answer a fundamental empirical question: Can torture work? Anecdotes abound, but, due to both ethical and national security considerations, until now, we have had no way of systematically answering that question. Or so we thought. Instead of patiently waiting decades for governments to declassify material, Hassner devised a rather creative solution—look to the past; so far into the past, that the present government has no political reason to oppose the research. To that end, Hassner relies on centuries-old archives of the Spanish Inquisition. For all of the gore-filled reality of torture, the Inquisition kept decidedly tidy books of the practice including: the victims, what the Inquisition knew prior to the torture, what the victims divulged, and what the Inquisition uncovered after the torture. Voilà! Systematic data on torture and its effects. Over the course of seven chapters, Hassner paints a picture of the Spanish Inquisition as a strategic actor that learns over time. He wisps us from fifteenth-century Spain to seventeenth-century Mexico, introducing us to the human beings that would become the (future) victims of the Inquisition’s torture practices. Over these two centuries, and across several victims, the Spanish Inquisition learned a great deal about the most effective ways to wield pain for the purposes of acquiring information. In what follows, I review this brazen book by giving a short description of what Hassner finds and his methods for doing so before, then, posing several questions, that, without the book would not have occurred to me. As I’ll make clearer throughout this review, although I have several questions on main points of the book, the intellectual conversation it kicks off is invaluable for both ethical and policy reasons. Chapters 3 through 6 represent the main empirical contribution of the book. In Chapter 3, Hassner uses archival evidence to perform a sort of comparative case study between the Inquisitional courts in Ciudad Real from 1484–1500, and those same courts during the years 1500-1515. This period represents the earliest years of the Inquisition and Hassner uses it to present the Inquisition as a strategic actor capable of learning over time. From 1484-1500, the Inquisition uses a rather scattershot strategy, haphazardly deploying its tools in the service of identifying and eliminating the underground Jewish networks populated by what it called “conversos.” In this exploratory phase, the Inquisition did not know much about who belonged to these networks much less the specific religious crimes they were committing (i.e., various Jewish customs such as keeping the Sabbath on Saturday, refraining from eating pork, funeral rituals, and celebrating Jewish holidays). What it did know came from an attempt at initial information collection that came mostly from a grace period the courts instituted that offered individuals absolution for informing on [End Page 348] others. This, in...

근대 전환기의 관례 동향

This paper analyzes the reality of Gwan-rye based on antique documents of Lee Joong-gu’s five generations, especially the Korean old vernacular letters, to investigate how the traditional Yangban noblemen during the period of transition to modern era inherited Confucianism rituals and proved that Gwan-rye existed at that time. In addition, it focuses on the process of Gwan-rye and its changes to look into trends of Gwan-rye at that time.
 Gwan-rye assigns responsibilities and duties of adults to those who have come of age and it publicly recognizes their qualifications of adults as members of family and society, so it is recognized as coming-of-age ceremony of traditional Confucianism culture. The four ceremonial occasions of coming of age, wedding, funeral, and ancestral rites are main rituals of Confucianism culture, and the first to be practiced among them is Gwan-rye.
 Early-and-mid Joseon was a period when Chinese Gwayn-rye’s were accepted and systematically recommended to be practiced. At the time, kings including Taejo put great effort to generalize Gwan-rye. During the reigns of Seongjong, Younsangun, and Jungjong, kings constantly received written opinions on negative effects of Gwan-rye including extravagance after Gwan-rye. Gwan-rye began to be generalized from mid-Joseon after the 16th century as Sarims were officially approved by Sajoks.
 Gwan-rye’s were still practiced from the late 19th century to late Joseon. At that time, Gwan-rye was transformed from original ‘Gwan-rye for ipgi(立志)’ to ‘Gwan-rye as precondition for wedding.’ In late Joseon, Gwan-rye was not an independent ritual any more, but turned into a means of another ritual. The importance of Gwan-rye shrunk and it was subbordinated to wedding.
 Most of the materials in the antique documents of Lee Joong-gu’s five generation that can track records of Gwan-rye come from the year of 1898 and 1920. This period was a period of confusion due to the ordinance prohibiting topknots and Japanese occupation. With enforcement of the ordinance prohibiting topknots, protests against it took place everywhere. Our traditional ritual Gwan-rye was not abolished, but continued to exist even in this period. It can be acknowledged as an accomplishment of protecting and practicing our rituals by our ancestors.

Sounds of the blue daemon: A new aural study of the Etruscan Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri, 450–420 BCE

The archaeological record of ancient Etruria suggests that different sounds were significant across sacred and secular settings. This is represented in everything from surviving musical instruments to vibrant images of musical performance and religious ritual involving natural phenomena. Nowhere is this more acute than the painted tomb where hundreds of images of musicians and dancers crowd tomb walls with their visually compelling yet silent sounds. Although multiple painted tombs survive intact, we know very little regarding their aural nature.This article presents data from a recent acoustic study in Tarquinia, Italy. The study constitutes the first archaeoacoustic study developed to study the Etruscan archaeological record. Drawing from the resulting acoustic data, the Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri is shown to exhibit similar levels of reverberation documented inside St. Paul's Cathedral in London, particularly in areas of the tomb where funerary rituals were conducted. Aural perception inside the tomb space is of focus, particularly with respect to the transactional nature of sound and vision. The methodology, which was developed to investigate the painted tomb, emphasises the importance of investigating the Etruscan funerary record from an aural perspective, thereby forging a new path forward in assessing the funerary record in pre-Roman Italy and the broader ancient Mediterranean.

Denied funeral rituals in pandemic times

The extremely high death rates in northern Italy during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic called for exceptional rules and suspension of funeral practices and burial rites. Additionally, forms of collective burial, typical of a wartime scenario, and mechanical methods and timing were reintroduced into the handling of corpses. Although several academic studies have highlighted how the absence of funeral ceremonies and ‘dignified burials’ has caused prolonged and deep suffering for the mourners and for many of the caregivers and health workers, few have so far focused on funeral workers. This article focuses on the intimate, emotional and ethical experiences of a group of funeral workers in northern Italy who handled COVID corpses and had to take the place of the mourners at the time of burial. Through an anthropological analysis of their oral memories, this work attempts to analyse their expressions of discomfort, frustration, fear and suffering.

A Comparison of Music Characteristics of Funeral Music from Croatia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom

Music forms an integral and essential part of funeral rituals worldwide, but has to date received little systematic research attention. Recent investigations into funeral music used in the Netherlands showed that it is lower in tempo and valence, less energetic, and more acoustic than popular music. Funeral music is also often in a major mode. The present study sought to replicate these findings for a Dutch (NL) funeral music sample and to expand upon previous knowledge by investigating the audio features provided by Spotify, namely: valence, energy, tempo, acousticness, instrumentalness, mode, and danceability for funeral music samples from Croatia (HR) and the United Kingdom (UK). First, values of music characteristics for funeral music used in HR, N = 388 pieces, NL, N = 500 pieces, and UK, N = 439 pieces, were compared to values of popular control music from each country separately. Previous findings were replicated: for HR, NL, and UK, funeral music displayed a similar pattern as described above. Second, the values of Spotify audio features for funeral music were compared between countries. Analyses revealed significant differences between NL/UK and HR, namely lower valence and energy and higher acousticness (only HR-UK) and instrumentalness for NL/UK compared to HR. Effect sizes were, however, small and are likely due to differences in music selections. These results suggest that, even though there is much diversity in music pieces and songs, funeral music within and across these European countries is more alike than different in terms of its audio characteristics.

Keys and Locking Mechanisms Discovered in Graves from the Alburnus Maior and Apulum Cemeteries

The analysis of graves could reveal information regarding the identity of the deceased individuals, the funerary rites that may have taken place, and the beliefs of the mourners. In this study were analysed seven graves: five graves (M53, M137, M222, M264 and M268) from the Alburnus Maior cemeteries, and two graves (G93 and M399) from the “Stația de salvare” and “Profi” zones of the cemetery situated in the northern part of the Municipium Septimium Apulense. Six graves include in their inventory one key and the last grave includes one bolt in the inventory. The keys have been used to secure possessions and public or private spaces by operating a locking mechanism, depending on the shape and pattern of the bit. In funerary contexts, the functionality of the keys may have symbolic meanings that can be related to certain deities which have these objects as attributes, or the keys and locking mechanisms may guard symbolically the possessions of the deceased person in the afterlife.

ASSEMBLAGES OF THE GRAVES 70 AND 71 OF THE OSTRIV BURIAL GROUND: TO THE QUESTION OF THE ETHNO-CULTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE NECROPOLIS

Since 2017 the Architectural-archaeological expedition of IA NASU has been exploring the Ostriv burial ground in the Ros River basin (the Middle Dnipro region). Аn area of 2257 m2 was investigated, on which 107 burials of the medieval necropolis were discovered. The materials of the burial ground show a resemblance with the Mediaeval West-Baltic groups of tribes (Curonians, Skalvians, Prussians, et al.). At the same time, some grave goods and certain features of burial rites indicate the more syncretic nature of the settlers’ culture. The discussion about the time, place and circumstances of the formation of the material assemblage and structure of ideas of this group of migrants remains open.
 This research evaluates the informational potential of individual burial assemblages for the possible reconstruction of the structural elements (cultural, ethnic and social) of the population buried in the Ostriv burial ground. Two female burials discovered in the spring of 2020 (nos. 70 and 71) were selected for analysis.
 Bodies have been placed in a shallow pit the contours of which were fixed at the level of unearthed skeletons (0.3—0.4 m). Both deceased were put in wooden coffins. The skeletons laid supine, with their heads directed to the west with a seasonal deviation to the north. The recorded features of the burial rite allow us to consider that both women were buried at the same time
 The deceased were connected by close family ties. The recorded funeral rite shows both common features of the necropolis and individual details which may indicate the worldview of the deceased. A similar situation is demonstrated by the grave goods — some of the discovered artifacts are traditional for the graves of the Ostriv while others were a real surprise. These materials take us to different regions of Medieval Europe: the Eastern Baltic coast, the upper Nieman basin, the Middle Dnieper area, and the early Piast state. Some of these materials have a rather limited area of distribution and a narrow chronology of use.
 The materials of these burials represent contacts between the Baltic and West Slavic ethnic groups in the Ros River basin after their migration / resettlement in the process of developing this region during the middle — second half of the 11th century.

Eye Painting Ritual, Bull Sacrifice and the Myth of the Eye of Horus in Ancient Egypt

In the predynastic period, the funeral rite included the main rituals: supplying water to the deceased, food in the form of a bull’s front leg and staining the eyelids with green paint. In the protodynastic and early dynastic periods, the idea of ​​a luminous beginning was embodied in the image of a bull. On the ceremonial palettes, the bull and calf act as a sacrificial animal. This gives grounds to analyze the materials on the origins of the convergence and even intersection of the ritual of painting the eyes and the sacrifice of the bull in the written period in the context of their involvement in the myth of the Eye of Horus. The ritualized form of the myth was reflected in the images and motives inherent in a society that was at the stage of state formation − in the scenes of confrontation and battle between the supporters of the supreme ruler — the people of God Horus with enemies. Later, in written sources, this idea, clothed in mythical imagery, was preserved as the core in of the myth about the Eye of deity Horus.