Due to the big success of our CAPA-ACAP 2013 Symposium, we are organising a similar session for the 20th EAA Annual Meeting in 2014 at Istanbul (10-14 September).
T06 Retrieving and interpreting the archaeological record
T06S026 The Odd, the Unusual, and the Strange: Human and Animal Deviant Burials and their Cultural Contexts
| Names : | Anastasia Tsaliki, Tracy Betsinger, Amy Scott | Titles : | PhD, PhD, MA |
Deviant burials provide an opportunity to gain invaluable insight to
cultural constructions of outsiders, non-conformers, or “others” of
different kinds. Sometimes, individuals who were viewed as
“extraordinary”, either in life or in death, were given unusual burials,
reflecting their special status. These burials are identified in the
archaeological record by evidence of different or unusual burial rites
to those common in the given social group, segregated
inhumations/cremations, unexpected burial accompaniments, or alterations
to the corpse. While deviant burials are primarily focused on specific
individuals within a community, they reflect larger social values of how
the living choose to bury the dead and what is considered a deviant or
special status within a group. Highlighting deviant burials in a session
format would provide a unique opportunity to explore these case studies
and the common elements that unite these burials across different
geographic and temporal landscapes. We will discuss a variety of cases,
from European revenants to mass graves and decapitations in China,
showing the challenges they pose towards a careful retrieval and
interpretation of the archaeological record, not only through
traditional archaeology, but also through a multidisciplinary approach
which combines archaeology with biological anthropology, sociology,
zoology and environmental science.
Paper submission is now closed. We have received loads of interesting papers - thanks to all those who have sent us their abstracts.
ORAL
PRESENTATIONS:
Session programme
1) A DEVIANT
“LIFE” AFTER DEATH: THE POSTMORTEM EXISTENCE OF THE UNUSUAL DEAD
AUTHOR/S:
Lauren Hosek
SPEAKER:
Lauren Hosek
ABSTRACT
As any
bioarchaeologist knows, dead bodies can have curiously active
postmortem “lives”. Archaeological cases of deviant burials draw
attention to the ways in which dead bodies are given agency – in
both the past and the present. In this paper, I examine the
widespread medieval belief in the active lives of dead bodies through
folk traditions, Christian theology, forensic analysis and
archaeological evidence. My ongoing dissertation research of an early
medieval cemetery in the Czech Republic highlights the perception of
the ambulatory dead in the medieval imagination through the treatment
of certain “deviant” burials. However, I also draw attention to
how the postmortem lives of these particular bodies continue into the
laboratory of the present day. Like our medieval counterparts, we see
something “different” about these bodies in terms of their
location, unusual mortuary practices, or the skeletal remains
themselves. We, too, have an uneasy relationship with the unusual
dead. They can be difficult to categorize, difficult to interpret and
difficult to discuss – often becoming even more “active” when
caught up in media attention. The materiality of these bodies, and
the materiality of their “deviance” captivates our imaginations
(both medieval and modern) and facilitates their movement through
time and space.
2) Romano-British
deviant practices: decapitation and faunal deposits reconsidered
AUTHOR/S:
Shaheen M. Christie
SPEAKER:
Shaheen M. Christie
ABSTRACT
Archaeological
investigations of Romano-British burials have revealed a variety of
burial treatments and attitudes toward the dead. Ambiguous, unusual
or differential burial forms have traditionally been interpreted as
‘deviant’. Characteristic features include mutilation of the
corpse, prone position, decapitation, and non-normative burial
location, among others. Such burials have been viewed as the remains
of individuals of low or criminal status; however, a contextual
analysis of late Iron Age and Roman practices suggests alternative
readings that could shed new light on Romano-British burial rites
more generally. This paper will focus on decapitated inhumation
burials with associated faunal deposits in central and southern
Britain in order to delineate the complex uses and meaning of the
presence of animals within the burials. Thought to mainly represent
the remains of funeral feasts, a re-examination of the evidence
suggests that these deposits may be ritually ‘killed’ objects
that in some cases were used to demarcate the presence of valued or
revered members of society. This preliminary investigation offers an
opportunity to expand our understanding of the larger social context
by challenging the assumed negative status of so-called deviant
burials while reassessing the nature of deviancy during the 1st
– 4th
century A.D. in Roman Britain.
3) DEVIANT BURIALS IN
ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND: PATTERNING & PROCESS AT GREAT CHESHTEROFORD
AUTHOR/S:
Sarah Inskip, Sonia Zakrzewski
SPEAKER:
Sonia Zakrzewski
ABSTRACT
The
cemetery of Great Chesterford lies to the southeast of Cambridge in
East Anglia. A series of 167 inhumations from 161 Anglo-Saxon graves
have been re-examined (for summary, see Inskip 2008). Pathologies not
described in the original skeletal report included cases of
tuberculosis and leprosy. For an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, the assemblage
has a relatively large proportion of juveniles. Some of these
juveniles themselves exhibit pathological conditions, such as extreme
periosteal reactive bone growth (potentially hypertrophic (pulmonary)
osteoarthropathy). The patterning and location of both the
pathologies and the juveniles within the cemetery implies the
recognition of unusual and anomalous individuals by and within the
local community. The entire Great Chesterford cemetery appears to
exhibit certain traits that have been typically associated with
deviant or abnormal burial practices from the Anglo-Saxon period.
These include a higher than normal proportion of infants and young
juveniles, burials in unusual body positions, and burials in
association with animals such as horses. Such aspects suggest that
deviance from Anglo-Saxon burial practice was the norm within this
assemblage. This paper discusses aspects of deviance in Anglo-Saxon
burial practice and places the unusual aspects of the Great
Chesterford cemetery into a wider context.
4)
CRY MURDER? THE DISCOVERY OF HUMAN REMAINS IN THE POST-MEDIEVAL MOAT
OF THE CITY OF OUDENAARDE, BELGIUM
AUTHOR/S:
Katrien Van de
Vijver, Ruben Pede, Sigrid Klinkenborg
SPEAKER:
Katrien Van de
Vijver
ABSTRACT
During
excavations in Oudenaarde in 2008, archaeologists discovered human
remains in the old city moat. Old maps of ‘De Ham’, where the
excavations were carried out, show a relatively open area, bordered
by the river Scheldt and by the city wall and moat. Excavations
revealed different layers from the period of use of the moat, which
contained the remains of minimum four individuals. They are not part
of normal funerary depositions, the lack of grave features indicates
they were deposited in the moat and later covered by the fill. Two
severely disturbed, supine bodies were recovered together. Another
was found prone, with the arms crossed behind the back, and one was
supine, with one arm across the abdomen and the other flexed outward.
The context and position indicates unusual and violent circumstances.
The layers are dated in the 16th century, a troubled time for
Oudenaarde, with a revolt in the first half and religious troubles in
the second half of the century. A combination of the skeletal study,
the archaeological context and historical sources may provide an
answer as to how and why these bodies ended up at the bottom of the
moat.
5)
WHO WERE THEY?
AUTHOR/S:
Jane Jark Jensen
SPEAKER:
Jane Jark Jensen
ABSTRACT
In 2008
the Museum of Copenhagen excavated the northern part of the
churchyard belonging to the oldest known church of Copenhagen. The
churchyard was in use from around year 1000 and until The Reformation
in 1536 when the church was demolished. The burials testify a
population which was – at least for the majority, the less
prosperous of the people of medieval Copenhagen. The excavation
revealed a surprising level of care and unusual arrangements in many
of the graves. Up to ¼ of the burials had been arranged in a special
manner and these burials had a much more individual setting than most
medieval, Scandinavian burials in general. These settings included a
number of items: stones, bones, artifacts and organic material. Also
a number of graves included an adult with one or more children buried
together. The child burials are also to be highlighted. A high number
of these were prepared with special care – both when it comes to
artifacts and the presentation of the body. Were these special burial
costumes an expression of superstition, preparation for the
afterlife, regional heritage, a mix or something else? Who were these
people that stood out from the other burials at the churchyard?
6)
DEVIANT BURIALS IN FINLAND – ARE THERE ANY?
AUTHOR/S:
Ulla Moilanen
SPEAKER:
Ulla Moilanen
ABSTRACT
My
presentation takes a look at inhumation burials of iron age/medieval
Finland, starting from the 9th century AD. Most of the cases are
previously unpublished, and haven’t been thoroughly studied. I am
presenting examples of cases that could be described as atypical,
including double burials, peculiar grave-goods or positioning of
artefacts. Some of the presented graves are unique in their
appearance, but in several cases, comparable counterparts can be
found. This raises a question of the definition of deviant or
atypical burial, which needs further discussion. The challenges and
potential of further studies on the graves are also presented.
7) DEVIANT BURIALS IN EARLY
MEDIEVAL POLAND. PAST CONTROVERSIES AND RECENT REVAULATIONS
AUTHOR/S:
Leszek Gardela
SPEAKER:
Leszek Garela
ABSTRACT
The last
decade has seen a growing academic and popular interest in early
medieval mortuary archaeology. Several scholars from the UK,
Scandinavia and Poland have begun to look more closely at mortuary
behaviour which deviated from the norm and involved, for example,
pre- or post-mortem decapitation, placing stones on the cadavers or
burying the dead in prone position. Over the years these practices
have been given various labels in academic literature. In Western and
Northern Europe they are often described as ‘atypical’ or
‘deviant’ burials, whereas in Poland a frequently occurring (yet
very problematic) term is ‘anti-vampire burials’. When placed in
a broader context the reasons for non-normative treatment of the dead
appear to have been manifold and diverse – i.e. they may have been
the result of popular superstition (fear of revenants), human
sacrifice, violent executions, judicial practices or unfortunate
accidents. Somewhat strikingly, in some instances they may have even
expressed utmost respect towards the dying or the dead. This paper
will summarise the preliminary results of a new research project
which seeks to explore all deviant burials from the area of early
medieval Poland in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective,
drawing on archaeology, anthropology and folklore.
8)
BIOLOGY OR
CULTURE? DETERMINANTS OF DEVIANT BURIALS IN POST-MEDIEVAL POLAND
AUTHOR/S:
Tracy K. Betsinger,
Amy B. Scott, Lesley Gregoricka
SPEAKER:
Tracy K. Betsinger
ABSTRACT
Over 300
human burials have been recovered from the 17th-18th century cemetery
site of Drawsko 1 in northwestern Poland. Of these, six burials have
been identified as non-normative, based on burial inclusions, which
barricade the corpse within the grave. This practice has often been
cited as anti-vampiristic and related to prevention and fear of
revenants. The purpose of this paper is to explore these deviant
burials and examine the possible cultural and biological reasons why
the individuals received different mortuary treatment.
Bioarchaeological analysis was conducted on the skeletal remains to
assess patterns of health, including trauma, disease, and stress. The
results indicate that there is no biological or health explanation
for why the six burials received specialized mortuary treatment, at
least based on these skeletal indicators. Cultural explanations are
therefore, a more likely basis for these differential mortuary
customs. For example, individuals migrating into a community and
considered “outsiders” were potentially at greater risk of
receiving such burial treatment. Stable isotope analysis is one way
in which this can be assessed.
9)
SUBADULT
FUNERARY TREATMENT IN THE DACIAN CULTURE. AN EXTENDED ANALYSIS OF THE
NECROPOLOIS FROM HUNEDOARA – THE CASTLE’S GARDEN PLATEAU
(ROMANIA)
AUTHOR/S:
Claudia Radu,
Norbert Zaeredai, Cecilia Chiriac, Cristian Roman,
Beatrice Kelemen
SPEAKER:
Claudia Radu
ABSTRACT
Our
study presents the challenges encountered in interpreting the
archaeological situation discovered in the necropolis from
Hunedoara-The Castle's Garden Plateau (Romania). The funerary
assemblage is biritual and contains the burials of 57 individuals,
dated between the 4th century BC to the end of the 1st century AD, in
the Dacian Period. In contrast to what the demographic profile of a
necropolis should look like, 40 of the 57 individuals are subadults,
most of them with an age below 7 years. So far, one proposed
explanation for the high number of children is that of human
sacrifice. Deviant burials must be diagnosed with great caution, as
we are dealing with archaeological realities and specific aspects
remain hidden during the research. Therefore, we consider that the
characteristics of the necropolis from Hunedoara-The Castle's Garden
Plateau are subject to more than one explanatory hypothesis. In order
to trace back the process that lead to the formation of this
assemblage and infer its function, we propose a biocultural approach,
in which we make use of archaeological, physical anthropological,
genetic and molecular analyses. By correlating the results from these
analyses we can produce a more complex picture and extend the
explanation for this particular archaeological finding.
10)
REMAINS
OF HUMAN SACRIFICES IN PIT SANCTUARIES OF THE FIFTH – BEGINNING OF
THE THIRD CENTURY BC FROM THRACE
AUTHOR/S:
Milena
Tonkova
SPEAKER:
Milena
Tonkova
ABSTRACT
The aim
of the study is to present the already numerous examples of discovery
of human skeletons in abnormal positions and unusual contexts coming
from pit complexes excavated within the territory of Bulgaria. The
sites with such characteristic are more than 50. These are big
complexes with hundreds of pits, interpreted as pit-sanctuaries.
Single pits with human remains have been discovered in almost all of
the studied so far similar sites – skeletons in anatomic order and
abnormal position: prone, with a head towards the bottom and legs
toward the hole of the pit, sitting position, severely bent, etc. The
skeletons belong both to children and adults, to men and women. In
certain cases there are data for their violent killing in the pit
(with thrown stones or slaughtered). Five particular terrain
situations from the author’s excavations will be presented here.
They were registered in three different sites from the middle course
of Maritsa River dated between the fifth and the beginning of the
third century BC. These are the pit complexes at Malko Tranovo (350
pits studied), at Gledachevo (150 pits) and Yabalkovo (100 pits).
Tremendous amount of fragmented clayware, luxurious bronze vessels,
jewellery, coins, animal bones and cult items were discovered in the
pits. Human skeletons, all of them in abnormal positions, were found
in only few pits (roughly, in one out of every 80). These unusual
burials, have been considered as archaeological evidence for the practising of human sacrifice in Thrace.
11)
TWO
DEVIANT BURIALS OF THE EARLY HELLENISTIC PERIOD FROM HALKA BUNAR, IN
SE BULGARIA
AUTHOR/S:
Athanasios Sideris, Milena
Tonkova
SPEAKER:
Athanasios
Sideris
ABSTRACT
During a
joint excavation project which is ongoing since 2009 in Halka Bunar,
SE Bulgaria, an Early Hellenistic site was identified and gradually
uncovered. On two sectors of the excavated area there have been
located two unusual burials, one containing one male, and the other
two female skeletons. They exhibited unusual body positions and were
associated with unusual features and artifacts. The situation in both
pits is far from what we know of regular burials for the concerned
area and time period. The way of death of the buried individuals is
not entirely clear. The paper presents in details these burials and
examines their connections to several other unusual aspects of the
site. Some more considerations, based on the evidence of Greek
imported artifacts, are made concerning the Dionysian and Orphic
character of the local cult, which seems to favour the hypothesis
of a ritual murder or sacrifice. Links to other deviant burials of
the same period and region, as well as the literary evidence for
human sacrifices in Thrace, will be presented as well.
12) SPECIAL CASES, DEVIANT
BURIALS AND CHANGING NORMS: A CASE-STUDY FROM MYCENAEAN GREECE, 1600
BC
AUTHOR/S:
Sofia Voutsaki
SPEAKER:
Sofia Voutsaki
ABSTRACT
Recent
discussions on deviant burials have shed light on funerary ideologies
as well as attitudes to deviant groups. However, the discussion
sometimes relies on a schematic contrast between normative and
deviant burials that does not do justice to the complexity of
mortuary practices. This paper explores the grey areas between
difference, diversity and deviancy in mortuary practices, especially
in periods of socio-cultural change. I shall use the double burial of
a man and a woman in tight embrace as a starting point for the
discussion. The burial will first be compared with the other
interments of the same cemetery (Ayios Vasilios, Laconia) in order to
highlight its unique as well as its normative features. It will then
be examined within its regional context in order to reconstruct the
mortuary traditions of the southern Greek mainland. Finally, it will
be placed within its historical context: the early Mycenaean period
(1700-1500 BC), a period characterized by innovation in social
practices, intensified social change and increased connectivity. The
main point made in this paper is that deviance is a relative concept
which needs to be examined both diachronically against the local
mortuary tradition, and synchronically within a web of interactions
and mutual influences.
13)
THE ‘VAMPIRES’ OF LESBOS: DETECTING AND INTERPRETING
ANTI-REVENANT RITUAL IN GREECE
AUTHOR/S:
Sandra Garvie-Lok,
Anastasia Tsaliki
SPEAKER:
Sandra Garvie-Lok
ABSTRACT
Greece
has a well-documented pre-modern tradition of belief in vampires.
Because many rituals related to these beliefs centred around the
grave, they should be archaeologically visible in the form of burials
in which the corpse was treated to dispel a vampire. Although the
ethnographic and ethnohistorical records suggest that such altered
graves should be fairly common, proposed cases are surprisingly few.
In this presentation, we discuss two likely Ottoman-era vampire
burials recovered on the island of Lesbos, Greece in the wider
context of normative burial practices and vampire ritual. A look at
normative burial traditions through documentary and archaeological
evidence provides useful insights into what graves of the period
should look like, as well as an idea of the cultural meanings of
disease, deformity and a corpse’s burial and decay. We then discuss
documentary and ethnographic evidence for necrophobic practices in
Greece and the physical traces that such burials should leave behind.
Discussing the Lesbos burials in this light, we demonstrate the case
for considering them to be instances of vampire ritual. We also
consider why vampire burials might be under-reported archaeologically
and offer some suggestions for their improved detection and study in
the future.
14)
HUMAN SACRIFICE OR NECORPHOBIC PRACTICES? NEW PERSPECTIVES ON
“DEVIANT BURIALS” AND MORTUARY PRACTICES IN PREDYNASTIC EGYPT
AUTHOR/S:
Ian Gonzalez
SPEAKER:
Ian Gonzalez
ABSTRACT
Recently,
researchers have begun to analyse the so-called “deviant burials”
in a whole new direction, aiming to find new options of explanation,
like the concept of “fear of the dead” This new way of thinking
funerary and mortuary practices made us ask the question if it was
possible to translate this new approach on the case of Predynastic
Egypt. Indeed, this archaeological period is known for very
destructive mortuary practices, involving wrapping and padding of the
dead, destruction of parts of the human body, and even decapitation
in some rare cases. Taking a whole new interpretation on the subject,
we are able to suggest an alternative enlightenment to the regular
arguments given by Egyptologists. In fact, some practices explained
as ritual mortification or human sacrifice, can be seen as
ceremonials to prevent the dead to harm the living. Most of the most
mysterious cases of deviant burials seen at Adaïma or Hierakonpolis
can be clarified. The treatment of the cadaver can also give
arguments on this way, like the body contention, giving information
about the new concept of necrophobic practices.
15)
DISTINCTIVE
IN DEATH: THE BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF NON-NORMATIVE MORTUARY BEHAVIORS AT
ÇATALHöYüK, TURKEY
AUTHOR/S:
Joshua W. Sadvari,
Scott D. Haddow, Christopher J. Knüsel, Clark
Spencer Larsen, Selin E.
Nugent
SPEAKER:
Joshua W. Sadvari
ABSTRACT
Çatalhöyük
is most well-known for its Neolithic occupation but also served as a
cemetery during the Roman period and currently stands as a prominent
landmark overlooking the nearby village of Küçükköy. Throughout
these occupations, Çatalhöyük is distinctive as a place for both
the living and the dead. As bioarchaeologists, we seek to use our
knowledge of the latter to better understand the former. Viewing
Çatalhöyük through the lens of mortuary archaeology can advance
this understanding, as we find examples of non-normative burial
practices during each of these chronologically disparate periods (the
prehistoric, historic, and recent past), practices which inform us
about the “others” buried in non-normative ways and the living
members of the communities that carried out these interments. This
paper discusses several examples of non-normative burials at
Çatalhöyük, including burials characterized by unusual grave
inclusions, body treatments, and locations in the Neolithic, a double
burial with an atypical grave orientation in the Roman period, and
the lone twentieth century burial of a woman from Küçükköy. In
unique ways, these burials enhance our understanding of status and
identity construction within a community, ostracism from a community,
and the power of social memory across the distant and not so distant
past.
16) “NON-NORMATIVE” VS.
“NORMATIVE” BURIALS OF NEOLITHIC ÇATALHöYüK
AUTHOR/S:
Başak
Boz
SPEAKER:
Başak
Boz
ABSTRACT
Çatalhöyük
is known for its intramural burial practices. The burials were mainly
interred within the houses, under the platforms and floors in flexed
positions. Although multiple burials seem to be well represented due
to the later disturbances, the norm is primary, single burials.
However, many burials have been found at the site that differ from
the rest and are unique in their own right. In this paper, four cases
from the same site will be discussed. Three of these examples have
been broadly categorized as “special” in a positive way such as
having an important place in the society to deserve such treatment.
One case, on the other hand, was special in a negative way, based on
where a particular individual was found and their possible physical
appearance as a result of disease. In the light of these burials, it
will be addressed whether “ normative” and “non-normative”
burials can be justifiably defined.
17)
“EXTRAORDINARY” BURIALS AS AN ATTRIBUTE OF INTERACTION BETWEEN
SRUBNAY AND ANDRONOVSKY POPULATION OF THE LATE BRONZE AGE IN THE
SOUTHERN TRANSURALS
AUTHOR/S:
T.A. Leonova, I.A.
Shuteleva, N.B. Shcherbakov
SPEAKER:
Nikolai Shcherbakov
ABSTRACT
The Late
Bronze Age in the Southern Transurals (Beta Analytic: 1890 – 1750
BC) is characterized by uniformity of obsequies of barrow burials and
Srubnaya culture settlements. In the Urshak river basin having area
of 23,4 km2,a micro-district was identified which contained great
quantity of “extraordinary” burials. There is a group of 5
settlements and 4 barrow burials here. In the biggest settlement
varied anthropologic material was found out. In the mound of the
settlement there was a grave of a child (1,2-1,5 years old). In the
mound they also found out a grave of an adult couple, a man (30 –
35 years old) and a woman (50 – 59 years old) (Caucasoid and
Mongoloid types). In 4 barrow burials 16 barrows were investigated
and 31 burials were identified. 4 out of 7 “extraordinary”
burials contain stone cysts, buried skulls and horse legs, and 1
cenotaph. Such burials and Mongoloid features are “extraordinary”
for Caucasoid Srubnaya population. Radiocarbon dating, paleopedology
and technical and process analyses of ceramics applied, proved
chronological unity of these barrows and settlements. This may mean
either “extraordinary” social status of the dead, or signs of
impact of Andronovskaya, Alakul population of Transurals and
Kazakhstan.
18)
NONTRADITIONAL BURIAL PRACTICES IN CHINA AND MONGOLIA
AUTHOR/S:
Christine Lee
SPEAKER:
Christine Lee
AFFILIATION: University of
South Florida
ABSTRACT
The
majority of the 5000 years of burials in China and Mongolia are
single extended internments or familial groups. However, there are
several instances of unusual burial patterns. In Central Mongolia one
cemetery contains mostly infant remains. Paleopathological analysis
showed the infants were either stillborn or had suffered serious
infections. In northeastern China, a burial complex consisted of one
central male, 20 female attendants, and one beheaded male. The
beheaded male was left in the doorway. Central China has several
examples of mass graves dating to periods of upheaval. At one site,
several individuals were killed and thrown into a well. Dental
analysis showed the males were probably from the same family. Another
burial dates to one of the pivotal battles in the formation of the
first Chinese Empire. All of the young men had multiple arrows embedded in their backs, and were beheaded. In southern China there
are secondary internments, with up to 22 individuals. These skeletons
were defleshed and gathered before being reburied. Finally in
northwestern China, there is evidence of several individuals who may
have been bound and buried alive in familial tombs.
19)
DISARTICULATION OF THE DEAD AS FUNERARY RITUAL: THE CASE OF JOMON
PERIOD IN EASTERN JAPAN
AUTHOR/S:
Takeshi Ishikawa
SPEAKER:
Takeshi Ishikawa
ABSTRACT
In the
Japanese prehistoric eras, there are unusual inhumations in which
parts of the body were disarticulated and/or secondary removed. This
unusual postmortem treatment has been examined in terms of the ritual
meaning, mainly using the skeletal remains from Western Japan.
Because of the inclination of the examined area, situation of the
eastern Japan is unclear although there are a large number of
skeletal remains especially of the Jomon Period. This paper examines
unusual skeletal arrangements seen in the samples of the Middle and
Late Jomon Period in the Eastern Japan. The postmortem
disarticulation is seen in multiple body parts. The cranium and lower
limb were disarticulated in many cases among the sample and in one
case these were removed to somewhere else after disarticulation. Most
of the individual primary burials are estimated to be disarticulated
in the vicinity of the inhumation, though in a few cases buried in
the discarded houses graves certain body parts were disarticulated
after being decomposed in a certain degree but not completely
skeletonized. From these observations, the part of treatments of the
dead and its religious meaning will be argued.
20)
ANCESTOR AND SPECIAL STATUS AS SEEN FROM BURIAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RECORD: A CASE STUDY FROM MANIHINA, UA HUKA ISLAND (MARQUESAS
ARCHIPELAGO)
AUTHOR/S:
Pascal Sellier
SPEAKER:
Pascal Sellier
ABSTRACT
If
special status individuals should have unusual burial, this case
study from Manihina site (Marquesas Archipelago) is of meaningful
evidence. It is part of an ancient funerary site, dated 15th century
AD, that is far before the first discovery of Ua Huka Island by the
Europeans (in 1791). Around 40 human burials have been so far
excavated together with pig and dog burials. This one is a complete
“secondary burial”, with the whole skeleton of an elderly male
individual, together with few rare ornaments (unique among the other
graves). This practice stands at the very end of a long and compound
burial process: It is the final result of a whole mortuary “chaîne
opératoire”, which is quite rare to be evidenced within the
archaeological record. The archaeo-anthropological observations lead
to reconstruct a small (probably wooden) box, with all the dislocated
bones in it, on the top of which stood a trophy-skull (the cranium
and mandible of the subject himself). It should have been an
impressive and ostentatious show of this special individual. In that
way, it cannot be seen as a deviant funerary practice but more
probably as an extraordinary way of turning the dead into an
ancestor.
