Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Archaeothanatology
- using taphonomy to infer unkowns about burial cointent
- taphonomy is study of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized -if they do
- thanatology study of socio-cultural aspects of dying so archaeothanatology is study of this in archaeology
- Invented by Duday in 2000
- Paralleled with funeral archaeology except focus on taphonomic process affecting body
- interaction with grave goods etc after death
- organic objects decay leaving spaces for bones to fall into
- Collapse or not of ribs tells us about shape of eathern grave and if any disturbance
- Labile joints unstable and decompose quickly therefore move during decomposition
- persistant joints take longer eg hips
- hands are labile joints,still connected prob primary burial
- but if disturbed still could be primary
- eg if hand on stomach during burial
- if skeletal remains move around can tell us of presence of voids or spaces in graves
- void left by somethin that decayed eg coffin
- why dont all fall?
- could be restin on edges of burial cut, bottom or side
- if little or no decompostion (secondary burial) bones supported by fill and prob in same position
- if head restin on pillow or head rest will normally become detached and move in burial
- body from Kebara Cave in Israel with adams apple in correct position suggests slow refill of soil after burial
- Burials of babies less than 6 months
- Neonates (still or newborn)
- some societies dispose of differently
- still borns today not always took away and abortions too
- infant with cut bones from Poundbury
- Roman camp 4th c ad evidence of malnutrition in many children
- sacrificial burial? pagan site here
- tiny bones in ground hard to spot and if buried away from community unrepresented
- Double burial-interred together or separate
- ligaments dont compose for up to two years
- hard to tell if buried together or one put into others arms bit later-days or months
- cremation is a form of secondary burial
- body burnt then ashes took elsewhere