Iron Age Cemetery Research Articles

Alkaline Etched Beads East of India in the Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Periods

Ian С. Glover & Bérénice Bellina Alkaline etched beads east of India in the late prehistoric and early historic periods The aim of this article is to bring to the notice of scholars the number and widespread distribution of alkaline etched beads made of agate and carnelian which have been found in recent years in eastern Asia - from Myanmar to China and from the Philippines to Indonesia. It is argued that these rare and valued ornaments were most probably made in South Asia and that the presence of these beads, many of which have been found in datable archaeological contexts, provides a good indicator of the beginnings of regular exchange links between South and Southeast Asia around 500 B.C. Because they are better dated and have been more exhaustively studied, particular attention is given to the beads from the Iron Age cemetery at Ban Don Ta Phet in western Thailand, where over 40 etched carnelian and agate beads were excavated between 1976 and 1985.

Una sepultura con armas de baja época ibérica (o época romana republicana) en la necrópolis del «Cerro de las Balas» (Écija, Sevilla)

Iberian Iron-Age weapons are extremely rare in western Andalusia, due mainly to the absence of the normative cremation cemeteries typical of other areas in the Peninsula, cemeteries where nearly all of the approximately six thousand Iron Age weapons that we know have been documented. In this paper we present one of the very few exceptions to this rule: a ‘warrior’ burial found in the Iron Age cemetery cemetery at ‘Cerro de las Balas’ (or «bullets’ hill», so known after the many sling projectiles found in the neighbourhood). This is an important find due to three facts: the type of weapons (among them a sword of the gladius hispaniensis type and a dagger of a very late Celtiberian or very early Roman type); the date, between the Late Iberian period and Early Roman rule; and the closed assemblage of weapons: sword, dagger and two javelins or short spears. It is quite possible that the burial is to be dated to the beginning of the second century BC, and therefore that the sword found in it is the earliest known example of the Roman gladius hispaniensis sword... or the latest version of the Iberian prototype for it. Finally, we discuss the proximity of this burial to the caesarian battlefield of Munda (45 BC) to conclude that in all probability these are two completely independent events, the burial being probably much earlier.

Palomar de Pintado (Villafranca de los Caballeros, Toledo): un proyecto de formación académica, investigación y revalorización de un yacimiento arqueológico

In this paper we present some aspects of a new collaborative research project, focused on the excavation of an Iron Age cemetery, initiated by the Diputacion Provincial of Toledo, the local government at Villafranca de los Caballeros and the University of Castilla la Mancha at Toledo. The project provides a common collaborative research framework and involves a new model in the archaeological heritage management.

Iron Age inhumation burials at Yarnton, Oxfordshire

Radiocarbon dating of unaccompanied skeletons discovered during the excavation of an Iron Age, Roman and Saxon settlement at Yarnton, Oxfordshire, unexpectedly revealed the presence of a middle Iron Age cemetery (3rd or 4th century cal BC). British Iron Age burials before the 1st century BC are usually found as individuals, often in pits on settlement sites, or are repersented by disarticulated human bone. This paper explores whether cemeteries were a more common part of Iron Age burial practice than hitherto believed, or whether the Yarnton burials were a highly unusual and localized phenomenon? It highlights the merits of obtaining radiocarbon determinations on otherwise undated burials.

The Hinxton Rings – A Late Iron Age Cemetery at Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, with a Reconsideration of Northern Aylesford-Swarling distributions

The excavation of a 1st century BC cremation cemetery having ring-ditch surrounded interments is reported. One of its two richly accompanied burials included an unparalleled drapery-cast stud/knob – an extraordinary object found within a cemetery with uniquely delineated graves. Given its location on the northern fringe of the distribution of Aylesford-Swarling cremation burials, the site prompts questions of core/periphery interrelationships, regionally and group definition.

An Early Iron Age cemetery in ancient Pydna, Pieria: what do the bones tell us?

Recent work on the association between anthropological and archaeological interpretations has been of great value in the study of prehistoric social organisation. Health and dietary differences are an important aspect of the relationship between population and its environment. The present work investigates some forty skeletal remains from a partially excavated Early Iron Age (1100–700 BC) cemetery in northern Greece and attempts to trace aspects of the health status of the cemetery population concerned. Individuals of all ages and sexes have been recorded. Examination reveals a remarkable prevalence of dental disease, a few cases of cribra orbitalia (possibly related to some postcranial infectious manifestations), one typical case of osteoporosis, and a few arthritic spinal changes. The rarity of prehistoric skeletal material in northern Greece, as well as the noticeable lack of anthropological studies in the area, make the research significant for further interpretations considering issues of social structure and reconstruction of past human populations.

The interpretation of skeletal muscle sites: a statistical approach

Muscle attachments have only recently been used systematically as markers of ancient activity, in part because of methodological and interpretive difficulties involved in associating muscle markings with specific activities. An alternative analytical approach focuses on the organization of activity rather than the identification of specific activities. This paper presents data from 18 muscle insertion sites in 56 adult skeletons from the Italian Iron Age cemetery of Pontecagnano. These data indicate that: (1) skeletal development of muscle sites is related to an individual's age; (2) variations in muscle marking within and between skeletons may be linked to activities performed; and (3) even when specific activities cannot be deduced, statistical patterns within a group may inform us about past lifeways and the social organization of activities. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

M. R. Popham (with I. S. Lemos): Lefkandi III. The Early Iron Age Cemetery at Toumba: the Excavations of 1981 to 1994: Plates. (BSA Supplementary Volume 29.) Pp. xi + 208, 159 pls, 3 tables, 1 map. London: British School at Athens, 1997. £62 (subscribers and friends); £69 (+ £5 post and packing) (others). ISBN: 0-904887-27-8.

M. R. Popham (with I. S. Lemos): Lefkandi III. The Early Iron Age Cemetery at Toumba: the Excavations of 1981 to 1994: Plates. (BSA Supplementary Volume 29.) Pp. xi + 208, 159 pls, 3 tables, 1 map. London: British School at Athens, 1997. £62 (subscribers and friends); £69 (+ £5 post and packing) (others). ISBN: 0-904887-27-8. - Volume 48 Issue 1

Lefkandi III: The Early Iron Age Cemetery at Toumba. The Excavations of 1981 to 1994: Plates. By M. R. Popham and I. S. Lemos.

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsLefkandi III: The Early Iron Age Cemetery at Toumba. The Excavations of 1981 to 1994: Plates. By M. R. Popham and I. S. Lemos.Ian MorrisIan Morris Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 102, Number 1January 1998 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/506172 Copyright © 1998 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Skeletal signs of activity in the Italian metal ages: Methodological and interpretative notes

In recent years anthropologists have made much progress in understanding ancient activities from skeletal remains. In this paper, material from the Iron Age cemetery at Pontecagnano (VII-IV century BC) is used to illustrate activity-related traits of eight basic categories: (1) idiosyncratic patterns of dental wear (2) activity-related articular degeneration (3) non-pathological functional alterations (neoformations, contact facets) (4) mechanical remodelling of bone architecture (5) enthesopathies (muscular lesions) (6) traumatic lesions (7) activity-related pathologies (8) activity-related nutritional characteristics

The Iron Age Community of Osteria dell'Osa: A Study of Socio-Political Development in Central Tyrrhenian Italy

Anna Maria Bietti Sestieri, one of the finest Italian protohistorians, deals in this monograph with a major archaeological site, the Iron Age cemetery of Osteria dell'Osa, near Rome. The cemetery materials provide rich insights into the emergence of the city-state in central Italy in the crucial period 900 580 BC. Paying particular attention to the causes of variation in burials - ritual, gender, age, status - Dr Bietti Sestieri is able to develop a convincing picture of the late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Latium vetus in the wider context of southern Etruria and Campania.

Iron Age Cemeteries in East Yorkshire. By I. M. Stead

Iron Age Cemeteries in East Yorkshire. By I. M. S<scp>tead</scp>

Neandertaloide Merkmale am Stirnbein - ein auffälliger hallstattzeitlicher Schädel aus dem Grabhügelfeld von Dietfurt/Oberpfalz

Between the skulls from early Iron Age cemeteries of the Hallstatt period (Beilngries, Dietfurt, Schirndorf and some other localities) in the Upper Palatinate (Bavaria) the skull Dietfurt 13/1 attracted attention because of its archaic traits at the viscerocranium and because of its extraordinarily large cranial capacity (1654 cm3). Such large cranial capacities were well known from Neandertals. Therefore this skull was examined for other neandertaloid traits: It was shown that the values for the angle of inclination and the vault-angle of the frontal bone fell into the neandertaloid range. With regard to the traits of the frontal bone Dietfurt 13/1 takes a more intermediate position between Homo sapiens sapiens and the Neandertals than the frontal bone from Hahnöfersand, which is dated about 36.300 +/- 600 years B.P. (Bräuer 1980). It is discussed, whether the specific traits of the frontal bone of Dietfurt 13/1 could fall within the variability of the subfossil Homo sapiens sapiens without postulating a phase of hybridization between Neandertals and anatomically modern man. Consequently, in the compilation of prehistorical skeleton-series more attention should be given to measures of the frontal bone.

Death in a Material World: The Late Iron Age and Early Romano-British Cemetery at King Harry Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Death in a Material World: The Late Iron Age and Early Romano-British Cemetery at King Harry Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Iron Age Settlement and Cemetery at Sejlflod in Himmerland, North Jutland

Iron Age Settlement and Cemetery at Sejlflod in Himmerland, North Jutland

Mecklenburg Collection, Part II: the Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska Gora in Slovenia. By Hugh Hencken. 316pages, 380 figures. American School of Prehistoric Research, Bulletin 32, Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass, U.S.A.1978. Price $25.00.

Mecklenburg Collection, Part II: the Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska Gora in Slovenia. By Hugh Hencken. 316<i>pages</i>, 380 <i>figures. American School of Prehistoric Research, Bulletin 32, Peabody Museum</i>, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass, U.S.A.1978. <i>Price</i> $25.00.

Hugh Hencken (with editorial assistance from Peter S. Wells): The iron age cemetery of Magdalenska gora in Slovenia. Mecklenburg Collection, Part II. Bulletin 32, American School of Prehistoric Research. Cambridge, Mass.: Peabody Museum, Harvard University, 1978. 328 pp., 380 figs., pull-out frontispiece. £ 25.00.

Hugh Hencken (with editorial assistance from Peter S. Wells): The iron age cemetery of Magdalenska gora in Slovenia. Mecklenburg Collection, Part II. Bulletin 32, American School of Prehistoric Research. Cambridge, Mass.: Peabody Museum, Harvard University, 1978. 328 pp., 380 figs., pull-out frontispiece. £ 25.00. - Volume 53 Issue 209

Mecklenberg Collection, Part II. The Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska Gora in Slovenia. By Hugh Hencken and Peter S. Wells.

<i>Mecklenberg Collection, Part II. The Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska Gora in Slovenia</i>. By Hugh Hencken and Peter S. Wells.

The Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska gora in Slovenia, Mecklenburg Collection. (Part II.) By H. Hencken, with editorial assistance from P. S. Wells. (Bulletin 32, American School of Prehistoric Research.) 27 × 19·5 cm. Pp. 316 + 381 figs. Cambridge, Mass.: Peabody Museum of Harvard University, 1978. $25·00.

The Iron Age Cemetery of Magdalenska gora in Slovenia, Mecklenburg Collection. (Part II.) By H. Hencken, with editorial assistance from P. S. Wells. (Bulletin 32, American School of Prehistoric Research.) 27 × 19·5 cm. Pp. 316 + 381 figs. Cambridge, Mass.: Peabody Museum of Harvard University, 1978. $25·00. - Volume 59 Issue 1

The Excavations at Stična in Slovenia by the Duchess of Mecklenburg, 1905–1914

Museum collections of documented but unpublished archaeological material often constitute excellent sources of primary archaeological data. The Duchess of Mecklenburg excavated extensively at Iron Age cemeteries in Slovenia, in what is now part of Yugoslavia, just before the First World War. Her collection, which is now being published, provides hundreds of well-documented grave groups for study. This article considers her work at the site of Sticna and is concerned particularly with the graves containing weapons excavated at that site.