Medieval Britain in 1976

Abstract

The Hospital of St Mary Magdalen, Partney has seen the first major excavation of a minor rural hospital. Existing by c 1115, it was amongst the earliest hospitals founded in Britain after the Norman Conquest and is one of a class of about 60 sites that were run as cells of larger religious foundations. Excavations uncovered the hospital chapel and its burial ground, as well as timber buildings. Monks/priests and lay people, possibly from the monastic estate, may have been interred in separate locations with different burial rites. Of particular note was a burial in a locked coffin or chest. Partney had ceased to function as a hospital by 1318, when it formed an administrative cell of Bardney Abbey. It was abandoned and robbed in the mid-15th century when the area was given over to agriculture.     

Anglo-Norman Parks in Medieval Ireland

Abstract

Lincoln Cathedral's Angel Choir was built in the second half of the thirteenth century to house the shrine of St Hugh of Lincoln, canonised in 1220. Although he was never a major saint, the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln sought to emulate the settings newly created for more venerable saints by constructing a completely new building to house his shrine. Despite considerable study of the Angel Choir the site of the shrine has not been established, neither has the site of the original burial. This is perhaps the more surprising when it is considered that contemporary documentation survives to describe the events of St Hugh's death and burial. There is sufficient evidence within the cathedral to reconstruct the sites of the original burial and the later shrines and this is supported by documentary evidence, so far overlooked, that is presented here.     

A Bobcat Burial and Other Reported Intentional Animal Burials from Illinois Hopewell Mounds

Abstract

The Elizabeth site is a bluff-top mortuary mound group constructed and primarily used during Hopewellian (Middle Woodland) times. Recent reanalysis of nonhuman skeletal remains from the site reveals that an intentional burial previously identified as a dog (Canis familiaris) is actually an immature bobcat (Lynx rufus). As a result of this discovery, we reevaluated eight other purported animal burials from Illinois Middle Woodland mounds, including seven dogs and a roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja). The dogs all appear to be intrusive or unrelated burial events, but both the bobcat and the roseate spoonbill were definite Hopewellian mortuary interments. The roseate spoonbill was decapitated and placed beside a double human burial. But the bobcat was a separate, human-like interment wearing a necklace of shell beads and effigy bear canine teeth (Figures and ). To our knowledge, this is the only decorated wild cat burial in the archaeological record. It provides compelling evidence for a complex relationship between felids and humans in the prehistoric Americas, including possible taming.     

Excavations at the Quaker Burial Ground,Kingston-upon-Thames,London

Abstract

Excavations in a Quaker burial ground at Kingston-upon-Thames uncovered the remains of 360 individuals buried between 1664 and 1814. Historical records combined with the evidence from the excavations have provided an insight into burial rites and undertaking practices of an early Nonconformist community. The archaeological evidence suggests that the simplicity and plainness of Quaker lifestyle were to a large extent reflected in burial. A detailed osteological analysis indicated a healthy, thriving community.     

Burial in Early Medieval Scotland: New Questions

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE presents a summary and interpretation of burial practices in Scotland in ad 400–650. Due to the dearth of documentary sources, mortuary archaeology provides a window on the changes occurring at the juncture between prehistory and history. Yet previous work has generally approached burial as evidence for a single aspect of this transition: the conversion to Christianity. Rather than signalling ethnic or religious affiliation, it is argued that graves should be understood as acts of structured deposition which enabled new relationships to be forged between the living and the dead at a local level. The composition of the grave with stone, sand, timber and earth can be seen as a form of furnishing cognate with the use of grave goods elsewhere in Britain and the continent.     

A Mid Upper Palaeolithic Child Burial from Borsuka Cave (Southern Poland)

During the excavation in the Borsuka Cave site (southern Poland), extraordinary materials were obtained for the study of the Mid Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) settlement in the region. In layer VI, six deciduous teeth of a modern Homo sapiens infant were discovered together with 112 pendants made from the teeth of European elk and steppe wisent or aurochs. The teeth appear to belong to a 12‐ to 18‐month‐old child. The sex of the child cannot be determined. Diagnostic features of the teeth and the fact that they all represent the same developmental phase suggest that they belong to a single individual. In this paper, we put forward a number of alternative explanations for why only a child's teeth and numerous pendants were deposited in the late Pleistocene sediments of Borsuka Cave, for example, natural factors (carnivore activity), human habitation, existence of a pendant workshop in the vicinity of the cave and intentional burial. Although no traces of a burial pit were encountered, intentional burial, the oldest known from Poland, is indicated by the presence of human remains together with numerous ornaments and absence of ‘domestic’ finds, such as lithic cores, debitage and tools. An unusual presence of a larger number of pierced teeth of large herbivores in a child burial is noticeable among assorted mortuary practices recorded in MUP Central Europe. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Burial of the Dead: the British Army on the Western Front, 1914–18

Abstract

This article examines the ‘war culture’ that developed within the British Army with regard to death and burial on the Western Front. Soldiers on the battle?elds responded to the presence of death and the bodies of the dead through a speci?c framework that was used to understand this perverse and violent landscape. This drew upon pre-war practices and emphasized the physicality of the corpse in the desire to ensure a ‘decent’ burial for a ‘pal’.     

Towards a benign reburial context: the chemistry of the burial environment

Abstract

The successful reburial of exposed archaeological remains depends on the ability to recreate a benign preserving environment, especially for the desiccated and waterlogged environments that preserve organic and other valuable archaeological material. An introduction to the chemistry of soil and the burial environment is provided, covering the key variables: water, oxygen, cations and anions, pH, organic matter, clay and redox potential. The problems of monitoring these variables and their variation are highlighted. Recent work in monitoring the long-term effects of burial and the steps taken towards modelling actual burial environment chemistry are outlined. Factors to be considered when adding material for reburial are proposed. These include: the avoidance of soluble or potentially soluble minerals; the beneficial buffering effect of clays and organic matter; the minimization of changes in water level, redox potential and pH; and the desirability of retaining the porosity of the burial medium. This can often be achieved by re-using the soil in which the objects/structures were originally buried.     

Rickets and child abuse: the case of a two year old girl from the 4th century in Lisieux (Normandy)

The burial of a child of two years of age from the 4^th century site of Lisieux‐Michelet (Calvados, France) was examined for bone hyperplasia and a variety of mechanical deformations recognized in association with skeletal trauma. Results of DNA analysis of bone using the PCR method identified this child as female. Microscopic features of the teeth (interglobular dentine) and a sample taken from the tibia conclusively determined that this child suffered from vitamin D‐resistant rickets and possibly X‐linked hypophosphataemic rickets as its most common form of occurrence. In addition, evidence for child abuse is suspected based on the presence of cranial and tooth fractures and the appearance of successive plaque‐like endocranial (meningeal) appositions. This is the first palaeopathological report of child abuse in antiquity. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“The Place of Solemne Prayer”: Intrasettlement Post-and-Trench Mortuary-Ritual Structures in the Precontact Era of Northern Ohio

ABSTRACT

Most traditional archaeological interpretations of life within late precontact period village sites in the Eastern Woodlands focus primarily on the domestic sphere or ritual activities associated solely with burial features. Yet, ethnohistorical studies reveal that both the domestic and ritual-ceremonial realms were tightly entangled in the lives of indigenous actors during the contact period. A recent reanalysis of a small enclosure and burial precinct at the White Fort site in northern Ohio presents new evidence of ceremonial use and reuse within a large habitation site during the late precontact period (ca. AD 1250–1400). Excavation data reveal how human interment, artifact caching, and layering of colored soils were incorporated in six pit burials arranged around a C-shaped post-and-ditch enclosure. The sequencing of interments and enclosure construction that composed this distinct area show that it served as a hub for burial and ritual behavior over multiple generations of seasonal village occupation.     

Saving the Rose Theatre: England's first managed and monitored reburial

Abstract

The discovery of the Elizabethan Rose Theatre in London in 1989 led to pressure on the government for the site to be preserved for future full excavation and the display of the remains in situ. This paper describes briefly the historical and geological background to the theatre site, and discusses the rationale of the burial system adopted and the methods used to monitor the condition of the site. The burial system was designed with a limited life expectancy of a few years and it was, and still remains, the objective of the Rose Theatre Trust to raise sufficient money for the theatre to be displayed. However, fourteen years on, the system continues to perform satisfactorily. The methodology is reviewed, particularly the use of expensive and scarce Buckland sand, and finally, the options for the future of the theatre's remains are considered.     

Folded wheel-made oil lamps,standing pit burial caves and Judaean ethnic identity in the Hasmonean period

ABSTRACT

Two distinct archaeological phenomena appeared between the middle of the second century BCE and the middle of the first century: the Hasmonean folded wheel-made lamp and the standing pit burial cave. Following an examination of their dating, distribution, and social significance we suggest that this material culture was characteristic of the Jews in Judaea during this time and that it reflects the creation of an ethnic identity. The fact that the Hasmonean folded wheel-made lamp and the standing pit burial cave were typical of Jews in Judea indicates that they were ethnic features of Jewish society. By these means the Jews emphasized their dissimilarity from the rest of the population. The archaic appearance of the lamps and the burial caves, which replicates the cultural characteristics of the Kingdom of Judah during the monarchic/first Temple period, indicates that Jewish society in the Hasmonean period sought to legitimize its existence through the use of its former culture and memory.     

LOOKING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS: IDENTIFYING PATTERNS IN COLES CREEK MORTUARY DATA

Abstract

While the lack of grave goods has been the focus of most scholarly discussion of Coles Creek burial practices, the mortuary analyses presented here focus on recognizing correspondences among sex, age, and burial position. Using assemblages from three Coles Creek sites (Greenhouse, Lake George, and Mount Nebo), I find that while there is significant intersite variability among Coles Creek mortuary programs, certain age groups are consistently treated differently from each other and from everyone else. Thus interments were being made with deliberate care and consideration for those involved and are not nearly as haphazard and disorderly as previously thought.     

Understanding ‘trafficking vulnerabilities’ among children: the responses linking to child protection issues in Nepal

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to discuss child trafficking in Nepal within the broader framework of child protection. It examines both individual (gender, ethnicity and caste) and structural (their experiences in relation to work, migration, education and lack of birth registration) vulnerabilities and their links with child trafficking as a child protection concern. The paper provides suggestions for why there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of trafficking vulnerabilities as part of a continuum, rather than a distinct event, to improve outcomes for children. We use the evidence presented here to call for a holistic approach. Policies and programmes must be integrated within the broader concerns of child protection, thus strengthening the system from local to national level, while recognising the importance of children’s rights to participate in any decision-making.     

Monitoring the burial environment of terrestrial wet archaeological sites in The Netherlands

Abstract

Monitoring the burial environment of archaeological sites is necessary to assess the success of their preservation in situ. Also, monitoring the state of preservation of actual archaeological remains together with that of their burial environment will further our understanding of the degradation processes acting on archaeological remains in situ. These remains consist not only of objects made from wood, metal, stone, etc., but also of pollen, soil features and even micromorphological features. Although, to date, the precise degradation mechanisms of archaeological remains in situ are not yet fully understood, general agreement exists on which parameters should be monitored in wet terrestrial environments. Also, it has been established that in situ measurements are preferable to laboratory analyses of soil (water) samples. In practice, it is difficult to find suitable monitoring equipment for in situ measurement as it must meet many requirements: an in situ measuring principle; stable for a period of at least several months; robust for use in the field; and equipped with a datalogger. A suitable principle exists for measuring the redox potential, however a simple, robust field instrument with datalogger is not yet available. Monitoring of the water table level, temperature and oxygen content is possible with recently developed, commercially available instruments. Monitoring of acidity is less complex as it does not vary as rapidly as, for example, the redox potential; however, the recommended method is still based on analysing soil samples, which is not acceptable in the long term at archaeological sites.     

Honour thy ancstor's possessions

Abstract

This article addresses the ethics of reclaiming moepū (funerary items) for reburial. It centres around a case involving moepū that were removed from a burial cave, conserved by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and reburied. Most significant amongst the funerary items removed from the burial cave were four carved wood images of ancestral deities called ki 'ciaumākua and other personal possessions of highranking chiefs. To explain the traditional practice of placing items with the dead, an overview of the traditional role of moepū is provided. Two opposing perspectives in response to the reburial are then presented. The article concludes that, as with iwi kūpuna (ancestral bones), the conservation of moepū is improper and museums should support efforts to return them to their deceased owners. Only by restoring moepū, to their original context — and thereby their original function — can the responsibility of caring for the ancestors be properly maintained and higher levels of traditional cultural understanding be achieved.     

THE SYMBOLIC AND SOCIAL MEANINGS OF THE INTERMEDIATE BRONZE AGE COPPER DAGGERS

Abstract

The transformation of hard, durable natural substances, such as stone or metal, into cultural objects with symbolic value has played an important role in human social development. This paper attempts to understand the symbolic and social meanings of copper daggers during the Intermediate Bronze Age, and the reasons for their widespread use within a burial context. A multidisciplinary approach is taken, combining and processing different areas of research, and employing a range of archaeological and ethnographic parallels. This paper allows also for a more comprehensive understanding of the social organisation during the Intermediate Bronze Age.     

Publications of the Society

Abstract

By summarizing briefly the existing facts and problems relating to the dolmens in Palestine and Transjordan, an attempt was made in this paper to establish the date and purpose of this important and imposing group of ancient monuments. The very nature of the existing archaeological evidence still necessitates certain hypotheses. We concluded that the free-standing dolmens fulfilled some function in secondary burial rites—presumably serving, wholly or partly, as primary burial places—in the Chalcolithic and Proto-Urban Periods, that is, in the second half of the fourth millennium. This conclusion is based upon some datable pottery finds and is supported by the evidence of burial rites in those periods. It is also strengthened by the virtually negative results of any serious attempt to attribute them to any other, earlier or later, period.

The dolmens were erected, in our opinion, mainly by nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoral people. Their zone of distribution, the evidence of secondary burial rites that are usually practised by such people, the population represented by the pottery finds in the dolmens and many parallels as to the economy of megalithic tomb builders in other areas, all point to this conclusion.

Our conclusions, however, are not based upon sufficient data and the dolmen problem in our region undoubtedly requires further systematic research and excavations. We hope that in future investigations, our working hypotheses presented in this paper may be of some help, as they do· not appear as yet fundamentally wrong, although this possibility should never be forgotten.