Burial Types Research Articles

Incorporating Multistaged Geophysical Data into Regional‐scale Models: a Case Study from an Adena Burial Mound in Central Kentucky

ABSTRACTA multistaged geophysical methodology was recently used at site 15Ck10, a state‐protected Middle Woodland period Adena (500 bce to ce 250) conical burial mound in Central Kentucky, USA. Data from this research are used to develop anthropological interpretations on the nature of burial mound construction and regional interaction between separate mortuary traditions in Kentucky. Methods utilized in this research include magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction, ground‐penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and downhole magnetic susceptibility. Together, these methods helped identify a circular ditch‐and‐embankment earthwork enclosing the burial mound, as well as possible off‐mound activity areas commonly reported in the Adena literature. Within the mound, multiple anomalies were discovered that are consistent with hypothesized geophysical responses of mound stages and funerary features. A review of burial mounds excavated by the University of Kentucky during the depression‐era work relief programmes (i.e. the Works Progress Administration – WPA) of the 1930s and early 1940s provide a vehicle with which to interpret these features. Comparisons of our data with length and width dimensions of known mortuary facilities documented in WPA excavations suggest that two distinct burial types were used at 15Ck10. These data are used to build a comprehensive site interpretation and create a relative dating context for the site. We use the site‐level model to evaluate regional interaction on Kentucky's Middle Woodland social landscape. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

부산 가덕도 장항 유적 출토 인골의 안정동위원소 분석을 통해 본 신석기시대의 식생활 양상

인골에서 추출된 콜라겐의 탄소와 질소 안정동위원소 정보는 당시 사람들의 식생활과 영양 상태, 생계 경제를 복원하는데 구체적인 가능성을 제시한다. 지금까지 우리나라의 신석기시대 유적에서는 인골이 많이 발견되지 않아 직접적인 식생활 양상 추적이 어려웠는데, 부산 가덕도 장항유적에서 출토된 인골 48개체의 확인은 매우 주목할 만한 성과이다. 본 연구에서는 인골에서 추출된 콜라겐의 탄소와 질소 안정동위원소 분석을 수행하였으며, 평균값은 각각 다음과 같다(<TEX>${\delta}^{13}$</TEX>C=<TEX>$-14.5{\pm}1.3$</TEX>‰, <TEX>${\delta}^{15}$</TEX>N=<TEX>$-17.4{\pm}1.7$</TEX>‰, n=10). 뼈의 조직 분석 결과 보존 상태는 매우 안좋은 HI (조직학 지수) 0을 나타냈으나, 뼈 콜라겐의 경우 질 평가지수에 합격한 값만을 사용하여 생존 시 식생활을 반영한다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 당시의 고고학적인 정황을 고려할 때 장항 유적 피장자들은 해양성 식료를 주로 섭취하였고, 육상 동물 및 야생 식물의 섭취 가능성 역시 배제할 수 없는데, 본 연구에서는 식료 섭취의 직접적인 증거가 되는 인골의 안정동위원소 분석을 통해 이러한 가정을 입증하였다. 이 외에도 펴묻기와 굽혀묻기 등 장법이나 토기 등 부장품에 따른 안정동위원소값에서는 유의미한 차이를 확인할 수 없었다. 신석기시대 최대 집단 묘역인 부산 가덕도 장항 유적 출토 인골 콜라겐의 탄소와 질소 안정동위원소 분석은 우리나라 신석기 시대 생활상을 복원하는 데 매우 핵심적인 증거가 될 것이라 기대된다. We aim to unveil dietary history recorded in Neolithic human bone from Janghang site at Gadeok Island, Busan. Excavation of Janghang site at Gadeok Island from 2010 to 2011 is an outstanding discovery in Korean Neolithic archaeology. A large number of human bones (48 individuals) were found at Janghang site, which is the largest-scale Neolithic cemetery in Korea. We extracted human bone collagen from 10 individuals and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis were carried out using carbon and nitrogen analyzer connected to a continuous-flow isotope-ratio-monitoring mass-spectrometer. Although bone histological analysis shows poor preservation state, stable isotope results correspond well with bone collagen quality indicator, which implies that bone collagen reflects lifetime signature. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope result indicates highly marinebased diet(<TEX>${\delta}^{13}$</TEX>C=<TEX>$-14.5{\pm}1.3$</TEX>‰, <TEX>${\delta}^{15}$</TEX>N=<TEX>$-17.4{\pm}1.7$</TEX>‰, n=10), however the possible input of terrestrial animal and wild plant cannot be excluded. Our isotopic findings provide an invaluable information on Neolithic subsistence economy in this coastal area. In addition, Janghang site shows specific features in burial methods and burial goods. Two different burial methods of arranging bodies are found with extended burial type and particularly high ratio of flexed burial type. There are also burial goods such as pottery. However, there are no significant isotopic differences according to burial methods and burial goods. Although this is a preliminary study on this site, our research will provide important clues in understanding isotopic dietary history of Korean Neolithic people.

Human subsistence strategy at Liuzhuang site, Henan, China during the proto-Shang culture (∼2000–1600 BC) by stable isotopic analysis

Since the discovery of the proto-Shang culture, created mostly by ancestors of the Shang clan from the late Neolithic Age to the early Shang period (∼2000–1600 BC), the subsistence strategy and lifestyle of humans in China during their movement southwards have been a great focus. Chinese literature and archaeological findings suggest that the proto-Shang societies were composed of different cultural groups and had various subsistence strategies. For example, at the Liuzhuang site, three types of burials, i.e., stone coffin, wooden coffin and earthen shaft-pit, are found. The wooden coffin and earthen shaft-pit burials had been adopted locally in the Central Plains since the Neolithic Age while the stone coffin burials were usually used by people living in Northeast China and had never been found in the Central Plains before. In this study, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses were performed on human bones from the Liuzhuang site and animal bones from Zhangdeng site in Henan province, China to determine whether different social groups had various accesses to food resources and whether their dietary difference was related to inequality in social status. Humans have mean δ13C and δ15N values of −7.6 ± 0.6‰ and 9.6 ± 1.0‰ (n = 19) respectively, which strongly indicates that humans rely primarily on C4-based food. The main contribution of C4-based food in their diet is from millet agriculture or animals that consume millet by-products. The isotopic spacing of carbon and nitrogen isotopic values between pigs and humans, between dogs and humans, and between cattle and humans, all imply that these animals were the main meat resources for humans. Surprisingly, the δ13C values and δ15N values of humans with different types of burials are quite close, indicating that they had equal access to food resources. This result suggests that the proto-Shang humans had adapted to the local subsistence strategy, and the local cultural factors in the Central Plains were very well integrated into proto-Shang culture.

Neolithic cremation in south‐east Arabia: archaeological and anthropological observations at FAY‐NE10 in the Emirate of Sharjah (UAE)

Small fragments of cremated human bone, clearly representing numerous individuals, were found in a stratified Neolithic context in a small cave at Jebel Faya in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. With radiocarbon dates between 6500 and 5800 cal BC, they are among the earliest well‐documented cases of cremations in south‐west Asia. Taxonomic identification of the small burned bone fragments is based on morphological and histological analysis. The deposits are to date the oldest human remains found in south‐east Arabia and represent a phase during the Middle Neolithic for which no other types of burials have yet been documented.

Early Woodland Mortuary Patterns in the Northeastern United States

Early Woodland (3200-1800 B.P.) mortuary patterns are poorly understood in the Northeastern United States. This current study is designed to evaluate selected mortuary sites in terms of feature categories, grave good diversity, and burial disposal types. The Early Woodland was a period of rapid climatic change which coincided with possible population decreases, settlement pattern shifts, and highly ritualized mortuary behavior. Mortuary-related complexes designated as Orient, Meadowood, and Middlesex are compared using spatial and temporal parameters. Current data indicate that Early Woodland populations throughout much of the Northeast underwent changes in mobility patterns, territorial behavior and corresponding burial ritual. Regional climatic changes toward the end of the Terminal Archaic and early portion of the Early Woodland (3200-2600 B.P.) and the latter portion of the Early Woodland (2600-1800 B.P.) periods resulted in a shift toward increased residential mobility, which necessitated a more flexible response to ritualized mortuary-related and territorial behaviors.

Funeral practices and foodstuff behaviour: What does eat meat mean? Stable isotope analysis of Middle Neolithic populations in the Languedoc region (France)

The aim of this study is to reconstruct the dietary patterns and economic behaviours of Neolithic populations in the Northwestern Mediterranean using isotopic and archaeological data. Burials come from four sites located in Languedoc–Roussillon region in French Mediterranean area. These sites are dated from the Middle Neolithic period (ca. 4500–3500BC). They represent the Chasséen culture, characterized by regional features, such as economy management, resulting from territorial control. For this investigation, a stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) method has been used on 50 human bone collagens and 28 associated animal bones. This method provides direct dietary information on the protein consumed including the relative amounts of marine vs. terrestrial and animal vs. plant proteins in diets. Isotopic results are mainly compared to archaeological data to understand economic distinctions and potential social status variations between different groups using specific funeral practices, i.e. lithic chamber graves vs. domestic/funeral pits. Results show that individuals buried in lithic chamber graves and those buried in pits did not have the same dietary pattern. This result suggests a possible differentiation between two socio-economic groups, i.e. consumers of resources from herding and from farming. No aquatic food appeared to be routinely consumed by these individuals despite a relative close proximity to sea and freshwater sources. Moreover, these outcomes lead us to hypothesize that: (1) funeral practices could be linked to specific economies and/or (2) to different social status and that (3) burial type and foodstuff could be an expression of religious worship. Further research could include data from other areas, such as Spanish Catalonia where there are funeral structures similar to Languedoc lithic chamber graves.

Burial practices and social complexity: Jomon examples

Many archaeologists investigated the burial practices of the Jomon in order to clarify emerging social complexity, especially in the 1950s. Recently, since the social complexity of the Jomon became an important issue, burial practice has been recognised as an indicator of a hereditary ranking system. As I have noted elsewhere, there is no clear evidence that a hereditary ranking system existed in Jomon society. However, instead of searching for hereditary ranking in the Jomon, burial practices could be analysed from another aspect. The temporal and regional distribution of Jomon burial practices has been clarified. In the Kanto district, communal graves appeared in the early Late Jomon. This type of burial has been discovered only in this area. In the same period, some burial practices also appeared in other areas of Eastern Japan. Although this change from Middle to Late Jomon has been recognised, it has not been investigated from the perspective of social complexity. In this paper, I will try to examine the change in burial practices from the Middle to the Late Jomon in terms of social complexity.

Burial type and degenerative joint disease in the Joseon Dynasty, Korea

Burial type and degenerative joint disease in the Joseon Dynasty, Korea

Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter

Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter

Status and health in Roman Dorset: The effect of status on risk of mortality in post‐conquest populations

The Roman conquest of Britain was previously shown to have negatively impacted health, particularly for children, older adults, and men. We build upon this previous research by investigating the effect that status had on risks of mortality within the Roman Britain populations of Dorset. This study incorporates a sample of 291 individuals excavated from several cemeteries in the county of Dorset dating between the first to early fifth centuries AD. To assess the effect of status on risks of mortality, burial type was used as a proxy for status and modeled as a covariate affecting the Siler and Gompertz-Makeham models of mortality. The results of these analyses indicate that high-status individuals, particularly children, had a lower mortality risk compared to lower-status groups; and for those buried in urban cemeteries, higher-status individuals of all age-groups had a lower mortality risk. As with our previous study (Redfern and DeWitte: Am J Phys Anthropol 144 (2011) 269-285), we found that male mortality risk was higher than females, which we consider to reflect underlying sex-differences in immunity and disease response.

Ein besonderer Bestattungsbrauch: „Leere“ Gräber in der Awarenzeit

In the past decades researchers examining burial customs have recognised local phenomena pointing to the cultural diversity of the Avar population inhabiting the Carpathian Basin. Thus it has been proposed that several groups of different traditions and cultures may have coexisted in the territory of the Avars. In the recently excavated 7th–8th-century Avar cemeteries near Szekszard (Szekszard-Toszegidűlő, Tolna-Mozs-Fehervize-dűlő) another — already known (Szekszard-Bogyiszloi ut es Gyonk-Vasarter ut cemetery) — characteristic phenomenon was observed that can now be regarded as a regional feature. The paper discusses this burial type - which has recently also been found in great numbers in the cemetery of Tolna-Mozs —, namely the empty graves containing no human remains. Empty burials have been known in cemeteries of the Avar Age, however, their number is usually insignificant compared to the total number of graves. The aim of this paper is to analyse the possible reasons for empty graves and to show tha...

An exploration of looted Middle Horizon tombs from Nasca

<p>In the Middle Horizon new tomb forms and burial practices appeared in the Nasca region that entailed the burial of multiple individuals in above-ground tombs. Such tombs found at the site of La Tiza were associated with elites, contained richer grave goods, and involved a greater investment in construction than previous burial types. The mortuary structures contained the interments of both local people and foreigners providing new evidence of cultural ties with the highlands during the Middle Horizon. Although all of the tombs had been looted, excavations have demonstrated the profitability of exploring looted contexts.</p><p>Durante el Horizonte Medio aparecieron nuevas formas de tumbas y prácticas funerarias en la región de Nasca que implicaban el entierro de varios individuos en tumbas construidas sobre la superficie. Estas tumbas encontradas en el sitio de La Tiza estuvieron asociadas con los grupos de élite, contenían finos objetos asociados e involucraban una mayor inversión en su construcción que los tipos de enterramientos anteriores. Las estructuras funerarias contenían los entierros de habitantes tanto locales como foráneos, proporcionando así nueva evidencia de interacción cultural con la sierra durante el Horizonte Medio. Aunque todas las tumbas fueron saqueadas, las excavaciones han demostrado los beneficios de la exploración de este tipo de contextos.</p>

BURIAL PRACTICES IN JORDAN FROM THE NATUFIANS TO THE PERSIANS

Jordan, rich in archaeological sites and the related funerary attributes, has the potential to reconstruct the life of past societies and deduce burial practices that, in turn, may assist in understanding these societies and tracking the changes of social adjustments chronologically. This study utilizes archaeological reports and manuscripts to synthesize the social archaeology in Jordan from the Natufian period to the Persian. The study shows a prominent variability in burial practices over the various archaeological periods that were triggered by culture change, where the latter was imposed by the intertwined socio-political and environmental factors. The simplicity or complexity in burial practices followed those of the society itself, where burial types and practices started as simple during the Natufian period and gradually intensified and complicated in the latter periods.

Towards Synthesis: Research and Discovery in Neolithic North-East England

The Tweed Valley and its tributaries, and particularly the Milfield Basin in north Northumberland, is an area of strategic significance in the geography of the British Isles and it hosts a rich and varied multi-period archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record. This paper summarises some of the key findings for the Neolithic resulting from a long-term and in-depth landscape research project and provides a new chronological sequence for the Neolithic of the region.Attention is drawn to the discovery of what appears to be a new type of Neolithic structure associated with settlement activity hitherto unrecognised in Britain: post-built timber buildings based on a triangular arrangement of timbers. The paper then turns to a consideration of subsistence and land-use practices and the evidence for cereal agriculture from the immediate outset of the Neolithic in the region. Since 1999 many more radiocarbon measurements have become available for Neolithic activity in the area and, together with those obtained before 1999, have been recalibrated and subjected to Bayesian modelling to produce more precise estimates for Neolithic activity. Important findings include the provision of a more robust estimate for dating the onset of the Neolithic in the region, as well as establishing a chronological framework for the Neolithic–Beaker period ceramic sequence. It also reveals that the current dating available for the henge monuments indicates that this ritual complex most likely dates to the Beaker period and not to the Neolithic proper as they do in some other parts of Britain. Truly ‘Neolithic’ ceremonial monuments in the Milfield Basin remain elusive and few of the potential sites that have so far been identified have yet to be tested by excavation and scientific dating. A clear zoning of rock art is apparent, with hundreds of sites all clustered on the Fellsandstone escarpment, while a variety of Neolithic burial types is attested suggesting the region formed a meeting ground for different cultural influences.

On the issues relevant to the Majiayuan Cemetery in Zhangjiachuan County

Majiayuan Cemetery showed diversified features from the nomadic tribes in the Northern Frontier Zone, the Central Plains and the aboriginal cultures of Gansu-Qinghai region, and so on. The earthen cave tomb with the cave on the side of the shaft was the burial type of the Qiang and Rong ethnic groups, the chariots luxuriously decorated with gold, silver, tin plaques and glass beads was the feature of the nomadic people in the Eurasian Steppes and the bronze ritual vessels and the iron weapons were from the Central Plains. The types and assemblages of the bronze ritual vessels and the potteries reflected the features of the late Warring-States Period; the coexistence of the various cultural elements showed the interchange and communication of these cultures in this region, and the owners of this cemetery might be the elite people of a West Rong tribe.

Radiocarbon ages for coatings on cupules ground in quartzite bedrock at Rhino Cave in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, and their paleoclimatic significance

AbstractGeophysical techniques have been widely employed for the noninvasive location of burial sites in archaeological and forensic investigations. This approach has met with varying degrees of success, depending on factors such as equipment choice, survey methodology, burial type, and geological setting. This paper reports the results of a multitechnique geophysical survey carried out immediately prior to the salvage excavation of two Indigenous burials from an eolian dune in coastal South Australia. Ground‐penetrating radar was not successful in defining the location of the burials owing to the disturbed nature of the local stratigraphy. Magnetic field intensity and apparent magnetic susceptibility surveys identified discrete anomalies that coincided with the location of skeletal material revealed during excavation, which we hypothesize to be due to burning or ochre use during funerary practices. Despite the spatial association of these features, subsequent laboratory analyses of the mineralogy and magnetic properties of sediments collected from the site failed to find a definite cause of the anomalies. Nevertheless, the association between them and the primary interment locations has implications for archaeological surveys carried out in the Australian coastal zone, as it highlights the potential of magnetic field intensity and apparent magnetic susceptibility geophysical techniques undertaken with a more refined survey methodology to afford a noninvasive, culturally appropriate means through which to detect Indigenous burials. This approach may prove particularly useful in areas with disturbed stratigraphy where ground‐penetrating radar is less effective. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Geophysical prospection for late Holocene burials in coastal environments: Possibilities and problems from a pilot study in South Australia

AbstractGeophysical techniques have been widely employed for the noninvasive location of burial sites in archaeological and forensic investigations. This approach has met with varying degrees of success, depending on factors such as equipment choice, survey methodology, burial type, and geological setting. This paper reports the results of a multitechnique geophysical survey carried out immediately prior to the salvage excavation of two Indigenous burials from an eolian dune in coastal South Australia. Ground‐penetrating radar was not successful in defining the location of the burials owing to the disturbed nature of the local stratigraphy. Magnetic field intensity and apparent magnetic susceptibility surveys identified discrete anomalies that coincided with the location of skeletal material revealed during excavation, which we hypothesize to be due to burning or ochre use during funerary practices. Despite the spatial association of these features, subsequent laboratory analyses of the mineralogy and magnetic properties of sediments collected from the site failed to find a definite cause of the anomalies. Nevertheless, the association between them and the primary interment locations has implications for archaeological surveys carried out in the Australian coastal zone, as it highlights the potential of magnetic field intensity and apparent magnetic susceptibility geophysical techniques undertaken with a more refined survey methodology to afford a noninvasive, culturally appropriate means through which to detect Indigenous burials. This approach may prove particularly useful in areas with disturbed stratigraphy where ground‐penetrating radar is less effective. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation of Ancient DNA from Western Siberia and the Sargat Culture

Mitochondrial DNA from 14 archaeological samples at the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was extracted to test the feasibility of ancient DNA work on their collection. These samples come from a number of sites that fall into two groupings. Seven samples are from three sites, dating to the 8th-12th century AD, that belong to a northern group of what are thought to be Ugrians, who lived along the Ural Mountains in northwestern Siberia. The remaining seven samples are from two sites that belong to a southern group representing the Sargat culture, dating between roughly the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD, from southwestern Siberia near the Ural Mountains and the present-day Kazakhstan border. The samples are derived from several burial types, including kurgan burials. They also represent a number of different skeletal elements and a range of observed preservation. The northern sites repeatedly failed to amplify after multiple extraction and amplification attempts, but the samples from the southern sites were successfully extracted and amplified. The sequences obtained from the southern sites support the hypothesis that the Sargat culture was a potential zone of intermixture between native Ugrian and/or Siberian populations and steppe peoples from the south, possibly early Iranian or Indo-Iranian, which has been previously suggested by archaeological analysis.

Investigation of Ancient DNA from Western Siberia and the Sargat Culture

Mitochondrial DNA from 14 archaeological samples at the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was extracted to test the feasibility of ancient DNA work on their collection. These samples come from a number of sites that fall into two groupings. Seven samples are from three sites, dating to the 8th-12th century AD, that belong to a northern group of what are thought to be Ugrians, who lived along the Ural Mountains in northwestern Siberia. The remaining seven samples are from two sites that belong to a southern group representing the Sargat culture, dating between roughly the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD, from southwestern Siberia near the Ural Mountains and the present-day Kazakhstan border. The samples are derived from several burial types, including kurgan burials. They also represent a number of different skeletal elements and a range of observed preservation. The northern sites repeatedly failed to amplify after multiple extraction and amplification attempts, but the samples from the southern sites were successfully extracted and amplified. The sequences obtained from the southern sites support the hypothesis that the Sargat culture was a potential zone of intermixture between native Ugrian and/or Siberian populations and steppe peoples from the south, possibly early Iranian or Indo-Iranian, which has been previously suggested by archaeological analysis.

Unité et diversité préhistorique entre Java et Sumatra

Prehistoric Unity and Diversity of Java and Sumatra The comparison of the archaeological records of Java and Sumatra allows to present a preliminary assessment defining future researches to be implemented in order to address major questions such as the origin of the “ Austronesians”. The geographical fates of both islands are different for modern humans and obviously played an important role, shared or separated, in the history and prehistory of Indonesia. From 20 000 to 5 000 BP, Java is marked by a technical heterogeneity in produced stone tools. In the meantime, Sumatra shows more homogenous technical choices, with a unifacial pebble shaping which still belongs to the Hoabinhian tradition. Recent palaeoanthropological data from Java indicate a large variability in funerary practices as well. Different types of burials, partial cremations and other mortuary practices are documented diachronically and synchronically. Consistent data related to funerary practices are still needed regarding Sumatra.