Inhumation Cemetery Research Articles

Analiza antropologică a resturilor scheletice dintr-un mormânt triplu de inhumaţie din perioada medio-bizantină de la Nufăru – Curtea şcolii, jud. Tulcea

Recent preventive archaeological excavations carried out in the courtyard of a local school in the village of Nufăru have led to the documentation of a Middle Byzantine inhumation cemetery comprising 191 funerary complexes. Among the individual burials, which are exclusive within the cemetery, our attention was drawn to a multiple burial containing the skeletal remains of three individuals: two adult females (a young adult ‑ approximately 34.6 years old, and a middle adult – approximately 43.3 years old) framing the skeleton of a subadult. The skeletal remains of the subadult belong to a child of approximately 10.0 years old. Beyond the issues raised by this less common practice in the Dobrudja funerary archaeology landscape regarding burial rituals, determining the cause of death for these three individuals becomes essential for the anthropologist. In the case of the middle adult, death most likely occurred due to a blow inflicted with a sharp object, such as a sword, in the cervical region. However, the situation is not as clear regarding the other two deceased individuals. Several atypical pathognomonic manifestations (hypervascularization and resorptive lesions on the bodies of all vertebrae, except for the cervical ones) observed in the child’s skeleton seem to indicate an infection with one of the species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. These macroscopically observed changes need to be confirmed by genetic analyses. As for the cause of death of the young adult, it remains a mystery despite numerous osteological (cribra orbitalia, osteoarthritis, spinal disc herniation, periostitis, vertebral compression fracture, osteomas, osteochondritis dissecans) and dental (caries, dental calculus, dental enamel hypoplasia, ante‑mortem tooth loss, congenital absences) pathological changes noted. Other pathological manifestations identified in the case of the middle adult include: cribra orbitalia, caries, dental calculus, dental abscesses, ante‑mortem tooth loss, congenital absences, osteoarthritis, spinal disc herniation, periostitis, Colles’ fracture, and osteochondritis dissecans. In the case of the child, cribra orbitalia, caries, dental calculus, and periostitis were also observed.

Meals for the dead: investigating Romano-British accessory vessels in burials using organic residue analysis

Accessory vessels, including platters, dishes, beakers, flagons, jars, and amphorae, are a common feature of Romano-British burials, raising questions as to their provenance; for example, were such vessels recycled from the domestic sphere or made specially for funerary purposes? Furthermore, uncertainty surrounds their purpose: did they contain foods for the deceased, possibly for their final journey to the underworld? Interestingly, organic residue analysis of vessels from Baginton, a site adjacent to The Lunt fort, Coventry, an early (mid to late first century) Roman military cremation cemetery did not yield evidence for food offerings and may have reflected the use of seconds or damaged vessels in burials, perhaps to provide a symbolic meal. In contrast, here we provide, for the first time, direct chemical and isotopic evidence for ‘meals for the dead’, comprising mainly dairy products, often mixed with leafy plants, extracted from somewhat unusual accessory vessels found in a small, enclosed inhumation cemetery, perhaps associated with a family group, which dates to the late (third to late fourth century, or early fifth century A.D) in urban Canterbury. Thus, we can confirm that accessory vessels found in later Romano-British burials were, in this instance, used in the laying out of funerary meals, presumably to nourish the soul on the journey to the underworld. These preliminary insights on vessel use and burial practices across the span of the Roman occupation of Britain thus provide a strong hint at the diversity of Roman burial practices.

Bacterial Endospores as an Additional Source of Archaeological Knowledge in the Analysis of a Burial Cemetery of the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian Culture in Dębina (SE Poland)

Archaeological studies need to use laboratory techniques, including analytical methods like Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography, as well as genetic methods to resolve and verify scientific hypotheses. However, additional tools are still needed in the case of the cultural practicesand traditions of ancient societies. Archaeological examinations of cultural practices have made significant progress in recent years, but additional tools are still needed to fully understand the complexity and diversity of these practices. In this work, we demonstrate how the genotyping of soil bacteria that can produce endospores is a potentially additional method for discovering past funeral rituals in various human populations who used food during their ceremonies. Endospores were isolated from soil samples taken from inside earthenware cup and pot-type vessels from a burial ground identified with the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture (SE Poland). The detected species of spore-forming bacteria strains were mostly environmental (originating from soil and / or water). However, the presence of some of the taxa i.e. (Peanibacillus, Bacillus) may provide a valuable source of archaeological information. We found that a combination of molecular and microbiological analysis can support archaeological studies of burial grounds and – in particular – individual graves, especially when they are characterized by a complete lack of bones.

Preliminary Results of Stable Isotope Analysis on Bone Collagen Samples from the Avar-Age Cemetery Privlaka-Gole Njive

The material culture of the Avar era is considered to be one of the best documented Early Medieval material cultures of central Europe. The nomadic Avar community settled in the Carpathian basin at the end of the 6th century and remained as rulers until the Frankish wars at the end of the 8th century. Unlike the neighbouring communities, there is no evidence of the Avars being Christianised, and their relatively conservative burial customs, in which great importance is attached to the costumes of the deceased, have enabled archaeologists not only to create a precise typological-chronological framework but also to analyse the different ways of life of the Khaganate population. Among other things, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses have recently been undertaken to establish and better understand the dietary practices of certain communities. This represents an important factor in social organisation. The authors of this paper conducted a stable isotope analysis of 22 selected bone samples from the Privlaka-Gole njive site, to this date the largest Avar-age inhumation cemetery in Croatia with 231 excavated graves. Overall, it seems that there are no major differences in diet regarding sex, age and social stratification, although females do exhibit slightly lower δ15N values than males, while non-adults and older adults exhibit slightly higher δ15N values than younger adults.

Borders, Burials, and the Extended Mind in Early Medieval England: <i>Genesis A</i> and Apple Down

This article begins by considering the re-presentation of the Biblical landscape of the Binding of Isaac in the Old English text Genesis A. With reference to place-names, landscapes, and other texts, it demonstrates how this setting was presented as a place of cremation on a hilltop border. The poem may, for audiences living in the generations following the cessation of cremation burial, have served as a means of understanding earlier religious praxis. The article then considers a similar moment of cultural transition written into the conversion-era cemeteries at Apple Down in Sussex, similarly sited in a border region and on top of a hill. Here, a mixed-rite cremation and inhumation cemetery was succeeded by an inhumation cemetery set out in a novel fashion, likely reflecting changes in contemporary religious culture. Both the poem and the cemeteries at Apple Down, in marking these changes, can be understood within Material Engagement Theory, a theory of the Extended Mind, as ‘exograms’: material memory records external to the embodied human brain. The article considers both the poem and cemeteries in this light, and shows how exograms of various kinds might be used to assemble an exogrammar, here defined as a set of ideas distributed across one or more exograms. A framework of this kind, assembling evidence across a diverse range of material and textual sources, is presented as an adaptable method of investigation across disciplines in which various forms of evidence can be understood as residual components of embodied human minds.

Traces of Christian Cultural Influences in Pagan Vilnius: the Cemetery on Bokšto Street

Lithuania was the country to remain pagan longest in Europe, but it was not isolated from the rest of Europe. Although the locals in the late 13th – late 14th centuries were still mostly pagans, Lithuania’s grand dukes appreciated the benefits of Christian immigrants. These Christians brought not only their religion, but also a knowledge of crafts, their culture, and their own traditions. Although Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, mainly wished to settle in Lithuania for economic reasons rather than from a desire to Christianise it, their presence in pagan Vilnius left traces, one of which, visible archaeologically, is the inhumation cemetery on Bokšto Street, where Orthodox Christians began to bury their dead in the last decades of the 13th century. By supplementing the historical context with this cemetery’s material, it is possible to talk about how the Orthodox community influenced the city’s urban landscape, burial traditions, and crafts.

The Mediaeval Cemetery at 6 Bokšto St. The Orthodox Community’s Social Arena in Vilnius

Each burial site is a reflection of the community that left it; thus the burial rite features allow assumptions to be made about the society, its social structure, its distribution of power, the social status and economic situation of the deceased, and possible gender and age differences. The Bokšto St. inhumation cemetery, which dates to the last third of the 13th – early 15th centuries, is unique in the context of mediaeval Vilnius due to being a Christian cemetery that appeared while Lithuania was still a pagan country. It is primarily a place where the Orthodox community could demonstrate its religious affiliation in pagan Vilnius by burying its dead in accordance with its own traditions. This cemetery also reflects the community’s internal features and was a place where its members could interact, i.e. a social arena. Therefore, investigation of the cemetery’s various elements and its burial rites allows for hypotheses to be made not only about the community’s religious affiliation but also about its social structure, its connections, cultural environment and distribution of power, as well as allowing one to talk about past traditions and rituals. The wealth of assembled information makes it possible to examine this cemetery as a place that reflects the traditions of not only death but also of life.

Prehistoric occupation near the Great Moravian church in Staré Město – “Špitálky”

A rescue excavation was carried out in the Staré Město – “Špitálky” location in 1949–1950 by J. Poulík who examined an enclosed sacral area with the remnants of a Great Moravian church and a smaller inhumation cemetery containing more than 40 graves. The church and the immediate surroundings later became part of a national cultural monument. A new evaluation excavation took place there in 2020 in connection with its complex revitalisation and focused on the area north of the church’s foundations. The survey proved that although neither the ecclesiastical area nor the cemetery continued in this direction, it did document intensive prehistoric occupation. Besides the settlement features (Moravian Painted Ware culture – MPWC, Urnfield culture – UFC), two graves were also discovered. Based on the inventory and funeral rite, one grave can be dated to the final phase of the Corded Ware culture while the other is represented probably by a UFC pit cremation burial. The study assesses the newly uncovered archaeological situations set in the context of the settlement structure in the Staré Město area in the individual prehistoric periods.

A study on actual use of woodland burial and economic effects on rural areas

This study aimed to grasp the actual use of Satoyama-type woodland burials and their economic effects on rural areas. Questionnaires about user evaluation, visit status and expenditure for visits were sent by post to 2000 members of Chishoin temple and 1200 members of Shinkoji temple. As results, the following status were revealed. (1) There is generally no big difference between their purchase motives and their current evaluation. In particular, the management of Satoyama and changing seasons of nature are highly appreciated. (2) It is getting more difficult to visit far grave because of aging, even though they had not minded it at the beginning. (3) Although the number of grave visits is limited because of long distances, accommodation and wide-area tourism contribute to the expansion of the exchange population in the region. (4) It is estimated that Chishoin has economic effect of 140 million yen and Shinkoji 33 million yen, which has a certain impact on the local economy. Further practical researches that promote local municipalities to establish more Satoyama-type woodland burial cemeteries are needed to conserve the local natural environment and expand the exchange population.

Initial research on the trend of changing from burial to cremation in Vietnam today through the study of method of handling cremated remains in Ho Chi Minh City

In the background of today's increasingly promoted industrialization and urbanization, especially in urban areas of Vietnam, many social issues such as migration, infrastructure development, change in family culture, etc. have become outstanding. This paper does initial studies about the trend of switching from burial to cremation in Vietnam today. Currently, related to burial methods, especially in big cities, some issues such as environmental pollution due to burial cemeteries, rising cost of graves, etc. become increasingly serious. At the state level as well as for people's awareness, cremation is encouraged as one of the alternative burial methods. This has also been a noticeable research topic today. This paper explores this tendency through the study about the method of handling cremated remains in the relationship with Vietnamese beliefs and religions, especially ancestor worship – a major influential factor to Vietnamese burial culture. The research result shows that cremation is gradually accepted and at the same time, the new form of handling cremated remains such as worshiping remains in pagodas and churches (for Christians) has also been widely practiced. This trend has brought changes in the way of ritual practice and family notions in traditional ancestor worship. Through the study, the author hopes to contribute to the providing of theoretical and practical basis for the study about the status, characteristics, future trend in traditional burial culture in today's changing context in Vietnam.

Study about the Japanese family grave “ie haka” today - Through the research about Japanese family grave “ie haka” in big cities of Japan (Tokyo, Osaka)

This paper studied the form of the family grave “ie haka” in Japan. Burying cremated ashes into family grave “ie haka” is the second stage of cremation, being practiced more than 90% in Japan. Through inheriting the result of precedence researches and material research, fieldwork of author, making clear the background, the characteristics, the present status, the trend in future, etc. of the family grave “ie haka” is the purpose of this paper. Among that, especially, emphasizing the “traditional characteristic”, which has been still the debate point among the researchers when studying about family grave “ie haka”. Through it, it is possible to understand the current burial method, as well as the religious consciousness, family… of Japan. And today, in Japan, in the background, many influencing factors such as family structure, religious beliefs concerning death, the afterlife, etc. has been changing outstandingly, the current status, change… of burial culture, including the family grave system “ie haka” has been the noticeable topic. This is also a significant keyword to understand Japanese society and culture. But in fact, it almost hasn’t been studied in Vietnam. With this research, I hope to contribute to the study of such related fields of Japan, as mentioned above. And relating with Vietnam, in the context of urbanization and industrialization, many problems of burial cemeteries has occurred, and instead of it, cremation has been received gradually. Based on that, the noticeable change, such as the process of changing from handling burial bodies to cremated ashes, increasing the outside service in ancestor worship practice, etc. has been brought. Like that, through the study about the case of Japan, the similarities, experiences, and application in solving related issues in Vietnam are hoped to be clarified.

Пам’ятки археології села Ульвівок і його околиць у дослідженнях львівських вчених

The old village of Ulvivok, located above the Bug River in Sokal district, Lviv region, is extremely rich with archaeological sites. Relief, favourable for living, fertile soils, large river have contributed to appearing of human settlements on this area since ancient times. This fact is witnessed by finds of numerous archaeological artifacts near Ulvivok and discovery of significant archaeological sites – cemeteries and settlements, which have an interesting history of research since the late XIX century and till nowadays, associated with many famous Lviv scientists. An important role in the preservation and study of local archaeological finds was played by Dzieduszycki Museum. The first references to finds from Ulvivok and the surrounding villages – Horodylovychi, Stargorod, Skomorokhy and Telyazh – are found at the works of local historian B. Sokalski and geologist A. Lomnitcki, published in 1899. J. Nykorovych – the owner of the village and amateur archaeologist contributed noticeably preservation and research of sites during XIX – beginning of XX century. The first extensive exploration in Ulvivok in 1923 was conducted by archaeologist and local historian, guardian of the prehistoric monuments of Lviv district B. Janusz, who discovered a tomb of Globular Amphorae culture and part of the burials of the most famous archaeological sites near Ulvivok – inhumation cemetery from the end of Bronze Age of “Ulvivok-Rovantsi type”. The same cemetery was investigated in 1931 by archaeologist T. Sulimirski, who published the results of excavations. Local archaeological finds were studied by famous Ukrainian archaeologist J. Pasternak, J. Bryk, K. Żurowski, J. Dąmbrowski, I. Sveshnikov, L. Krushelnytska. Nowadays, the exploration work was conducted by N. Wojceschuk, surveys in Ulvivok, Horodylovychi, Stargorod and excavation of Early Iron Age site were carried out by D. Pavliv. At least 14 archaeological sites (8 settlements and 6 cemeteries) and about 100 individual finds have been found on the territory of the village and surrounding area. This territory on the western part of Ukraine is extremely rich with archaeological sites of almost all epochs. It is witnessed by the great historical importance of this region and requires continuation of professional archaeological examinations and protective actions for the preservation of archaeological heritage. Key words: Ulvivok, archaeological site, Lviv scientists, Globular Amphorae culture, burial complex of Ulvivok-Rovantsi type.

Entre lo pagano y lo cristiano. Espacios funerarios romanos y tardoantiguos en Galicia

El presente artículo trata de realizar una breve aproximación al mundo funerario romano en Galicia a través del estudio de diferentes necrópolis, tanto de incineración como de inhumación, y su relación con la población y el entorno circundante. Tras un primer apartado sobre la concepción de la muerte, nos centraremos en las características principales de la arqueología funeraria de los siglos I a.C.-VI d.C. en el noroeste peninsular a partir de una revisión de 48 casos de estudio. Asimismo, queremos hacer hincapié en la notable ausencia de datos a la que hemos tenido que hacer frente y que ha impedido en muchos casos el completo estudio de determinados yacimientos.

Cremation burials in inhumation cemeteries in Late Iron Age Finland and the Karelian Isthmus

Cremation burials in inhumation cemeteries in Late Iron Age Finland and the Karelian Isthmus

The population of the early Polish Christian cemetery in Grodowice on the basis of archaeological, anthropological, and molecular research

The aim of this study is to present a full characterization and catalogue of the graves of the early medieval inhumation necropolis that was recently found at the edge of the loess uplands in the western part of Malopolska (Lesser Poland) – specifically, in Grodowice, Kazimierza Wielka district. The second aim is to determine the matrilineal genetic structure and to present the first medieval population-level human DNA study from Malopolska. The necropolis, which was excavated in 2005-2008 at site 1, is situated in an open field on the culmination of a broad, flat hill being part of a longitudinal range of hills separating the valleys of two larger rivers – namely, the Nidzica and Mlynska. The excavations resulted in the discovery of 35 inhumation graves, partly arranged in regular rows, dating to the early medieval period. The deceased were placed mostly in regular pits with their heads to the west. Very few traces of wooden coffins were recorded. 32 skeletons were classified in anthropological analysis. They present all age classes: Infans/Juvenis (13 graves), Juvenis/Adultus (8 graves, incl. 3 females and 3 males), Adultus/Maturus (9 graves, incl. 3 females and 3 males), and Senilis (1 grave). Various pathological changes and injuries were recorded: teeth plaque, enamel hypoplasia, caries, spine and long bone degenerations, cribra orbitalia, Schmorl’s nodes. Thirteen mtDNA sequences were made which encompass almost the entire range of Western Eurasian macro-haplogroups. Artefacts were recorded in 11 graves, such as: temple rings, coins, finger rings, beads, and coins. They occurred infemale, male, and child graves alike. The cemetery at Grodowice, like the majority of inhumation cemeteries in Malopolska, was probably founded in thesecond half or towards the end of the 10th century. Graves with coins indicate that it still functioned in the late 11th century. It cannot be ruled out that the Grodowice necropolis ceased to function as a result of the construction of churches in nearby Kazimierza Mala (probably as early as in the 11th century) and Bejsce (12th century or the first half of the 13th century).

Jebel Moya: new excavations at the largest pastoral burial cemetery in sub-Saharan Africa

New excavations at the Jebel Moya cemetery in Sudan reveal extensive evidence for Meroitic-era occupation, providing valuable data on contemporaneous diet, migration, exchange and population composition in sub-Saharan Africa.

Social food here and hereafter: Multiproxy analysis of gender-specific food consumption in conversion period inhumation cemetery at Kukruse, NE-Estonia

Abstract Current approaches in diet-related bioarchaeological research focus on establishing major developments in ancient societies, whilst small-scale and high-resolution studies of social constituents of past food consumption have gained far less attention. We conducted a multiproxy study of ancient diet in the 12th–13th century AD cemetery at Kukruse, NE-Estonia, in order to address the question of socially constrained food in the past. Two different food related archaeological sources – ceramic vessels and human bones – were investigated by applying organic residue (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), bulk isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS)), and plant microfossil analysis for the first, and human bone stable isotope (IRMS) analysis for the latter. Results show that there was a gender and to some extent also age-specific food consumption by different community members at Kukruse: male (and some older female) diet was based on more aquatic and higher trophic level organisms, whilst younger females tend to feed on lower trophic level and potentially more herbivorous animals and their products. The paper emphasises the concept of past diet as a social phenomenon, the aspects of which can be best revealed with the help of multiproxy bioarchaeological analysis.

Розкопки кургану Седоркин на півдні Донецької області.

The article presents materials of the barrow “Sedorkin” which was investigated by the archaeological expedition of the Mariupol State University on the territory of the Lebedyn village (Novoazovsky district of the Donetsk region). The burial mound not only replenished the dataset for studying the cultures of the Bronze Age and the Medieval time of the Northern Azov Sea region, but also gave interesting information on the weakly understood aspect of the ritual practice of the Catacomb tribes. Questions on the internal periodization of barrow and some special features of ritual – inventory complex are examined.The investigated mound was located on the eastern bank of the river Kalmius (basin of the Sea of Azov), on top of the watershed. In the burial mound eight burials and two cult pits were discovered. The barrow demonstrates a rather rare case: the mound was erected not over the burial, but over two pits that did not contain traces of people's burial. Two cult pits were the oldest in the mound. The chronological indicator is a vessel from pit No. 1, which refers to the Ingul Catacomb culture. Thus, the construction of mound can be attributed to the Late Catacomb time and associated with the tribes of the Ingul Catacomb culture.The discovered burials of the Late Bronze Age refer to the Timber-Grave culture. In the position of the dead prevails the strongly crouched posture on the left side with orientation to the eastern sector. Hands bent at the elbows at an acute angle and were near the face. Ceramic tableware in the studied burials most often stood at the hands or in front of the head of the deceased. On the basis of the typological analysis of the ritual inventory complex all the burials of the Late Bronze Age were attributed to the third (late) chronological horizon of burial cemeteries of the Timber-Grave culture of the Northern Azov Sea region.The latest complex - burial 6 refers to the Medieval time. A more exact date of burial is determined by the peculiarities of the funeral rite. The location in the central part of the mound, the western orientation of the deceased, the skull and limbs of the horse, placed in a grave nearby, provide arguments to attribute this burial to the time of inhabiting the Pechenigs and Torques in the Azov steppe in the 10th –11th centuries. This date corresponds to a complex of funerary implements.

HLA-DR Genotyping and Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Reveal the Presence of Family Burials in a Fourth Century Romano-British Christian Cemetery.

In Colchester, Britain's oldest recorded town, during the Roman period there were areas which were clearly used solely as cemeteries. One of the most significant is at Butt Road, which includes a late Roman probable Christian cemetery with an associated building, apparently a church, that overlies and developed from a pagan inhumation cemetery. DNA was extracted from the long bones (femurs) of 29 individuals, mostly from a large complex of burials centered on two timber vaults. These were thought to comprise a number of family groupings, deduced from osteological analysis, stratigraphical and other considerations. The use of a modified version of the silica-based purification method recovered nanogram quantities of DNA/gram of bone. Two-stage amplification, incorporating primer-extension preamplification-polymerase chain reaction, permitted simultaneous amplification of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes yielded human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR typing of seven samples, with four revealing the infrequent HLA-DR10 genotype. Examination of the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) by direct sequencing revealed polymorphisms yet to be reported in the modern population. HLA-DRB typing and mtDNA analysis affirmatively supported kinship among some, if not all, individuals in the “vault complex” and demonstrate a continental European origin of the individuals investigated.

Gurugyam and Chuvthag Cemeteries in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet

Abstract From 2012 the 2014, the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other institutions conducted a series of excavations at the Gurugyam and Chuvthag Cemeteries in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. The Gurugyam Cemetery is the largest and the most concentrated vertical shaft pit burial cemetery found to date in Ngari, and has close relationship with the Kardung (Kyunglung Silver Palace) City Site. Chuvthag Cemetery is the first archaeologically excavated cave tomb cemetery in Ngari Prefecture; the structures of the burials were completely preserved and these burials were rich in content, providing valuable information for the reconstruction of life in the ancient Zhang-zhung Kingdom period. The discovery and study on these two cemeteries are important for establishing the sequence of archaeological cultures in western Tibet, and they also contribute to research on the Zhang-zhung Civilization.