MEMORY,LANDSCAPE & MORTUARY PRACTICE

Stone Age people handled their dead in various ways. From the Late Mesolithic period onwards, the deceased were also buried in formal cemeteries, and according to radiocarbon dates, the cemeteries were used for long periods and occasionally reused after a hiatus of several hundred years. The tradition of continuous burials indicates that the cemeteries were not only static containers of the dead but also important places for Stone Age communities, which were often established in potent places and marked by landscape features that might have had a strong association with death. The paper explores the tradition of burials in cemeteries exemplified through Jönsas Stone Age cemetery in southern Finland. Here the natural topography, along with memories of practices conducted at the site in the past, played a significant role in the Stone Age mortuary practices, also resulting in the ritual reuse of the cemetery by the Neolithic Corded Ware Culture.     

ARCHAEOLOGY IN A GEECHEE GRAVEYARD

Abstract

Archaeological investigations were carried out during May 2010 within Behavior Cemetery, a historic African American graveyard used for more than 120 years by the Gullah-Geechee communities of Sapelo Island, Georgia. Designed in close partnership with the local residents, this project sought to address their concerns about disturbance to unmarked graves when new graves were dug. This paper provides a historical overview of the cemetery and then discusses the methods, results, and outcomes of the field research. The success of the Behavior Cemetery Project serves as a positive example of community-oriented archaeology, a mutually beneficial partnership that simultaneously serves public, academic research, and cultural resource management needs.     

Stable isotope analysis of a medieval skeletal sample indicative of systemic disease from Sigtuna Sweden

In Sigtuna, Sweden, several medieval cemeteries have been excavated, from which approximately 800 skeletons have been excavated and analysed. Archaeological finds and anthropological analyses have exposed social differences between the cemeteries. Stable isotope analyses have shown that the inhabitants of the town consumed a mixed diet. Significant differences in dietary patterns between the cemeteries may be related to social stratification.In the outskirts of a churchyard excavated in 2006, bone changes showing systemic inflammatory disease indicative of leprosy were observed in six individuals. The burial location suggests that the affected belonged to a lower social stratum. Bone samples were taken from these six individuals, 19 other human skeletons and five animals from the same cemetery for analysis of the stable isotope composition of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S).The results showed no significant differences in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values between the groups, i.e. the seemingly healthy humans and the humans affected by severe inflammatory disease appear to have had similar diets. Nor was a significant difference observed in δ³⁴S data between the six affected individuals and the rest of the sample, implying that no difference in origins could be observed between the two groups studied. However, a comparison between the present study and the previous analysis resulted in significant differences in carbon values.Based on the results obtained in this investigation it is suggested that if a dietary difference existed between people in the outskirts of a cemetery (for example those suffering from leprosy) and people buried in higher ranked regions, it was not a difference in food source but rather in other parameters. Instead dietary differences and possibly social variations are demonstrated between cemeteries. The results from the present study highlight the hierarchical arrangements of social classes in the early medieval society.     

Stable isotope analysis of 14 individuals from the Mesolithic cemetery of Vasilyevka II,Dnieper Rapids region,Ukraine

Bone collagen extracted from 14 humans from the Mesolithic cemetery of Vasilyevka II was analysed for their δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ratios. This cemetery is one of only two later Mesolithic cemeteries from the Dnieper Rapids region, being dated to 7300–6220 cal BC on the basis of three radiocarbon determinations. This analysis provides insights into the nature of the diet of the Dnieper populations at the very end of the Mesolithic period, prior to the adoption of pottery in the region, and the assumed shift towards the exploitation of domesticates in the economies of the populations of the Dnieper region, and considers these in relation to broader temporal indicators of diet in the region.     

The Reuse of ‘Antiques’ in Conversion Period Cemeteries

BETWEEN 2005 AND 2007, a large Anglo-Saxon cemetery was excavated at Street House, near Loftus in Cleveland in north-eastern England. The site was discovered during a programme of research into late-prehistoric settlement in the area and hosts a range of monuments dating from 3000 bc to ad 650. In the context of the conversion period, the Anglo-Saxon cemetery is of significant interest due to a range of reused prehistoric and Romano-British objects found as gravegoods. By ad 650, when some of the objects were buried, they were already antiques, and some may have been at least 250 years old when deposited. During the conversion period, furnished burial was a diminishing rite and the placement of objects within the grave may therefore have held a greater significance. This study considers reused artefacts recovered from conversion -period cemeteries. At a time when a number of cemeteries were being founded in relation to earlier monuments, some contained burials that reused artefacts and jewellery of prehistoric and Romano-British date. There is a compelling pattern for this practice at Street House, but this phenomenon also occurred at other sites of a similar date.     

Mortuary Variability and Status Differentiation in the Late Jomon of Hokkaido Based on the Analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shuteibo</Emphasis> (Communal Cemeteries)

The shuteibo, a type of communal cemetery characterized by a circular embankment, was constructed in the latter half of the Late Jomon (c. 1520 cal BC–1250 cal BC) in Hokkaido, Japan. Shuteibo at the Kiusu, Misawa-1, Bibi-4 and Kashiwagi-B sites are key to understanding the complex hunter-gatherer societies of the Late Jomon. Elite graves inside the shuteibo and non-elite graves outside them show clear differences in terms of grave goods, red ocher and grave markers at Kiusu-4. These communal cemeteries may have been created and maintained by elites who had access to highly valued materials, such as jadeite, through long-distance trade. Differences in the number of graves and grave goods among shuteibo at the Misawa-1 and Bibi-4 sites indicate differences in group size and intra-site elite differentiation. The Kiusu site has both the largest example and the largest concentration of these cemeteries in Hokkaido. At the inter-site level, differences in the size of these communal cemeteries indicate variability in the number of corporate groups as well as in relative power between sites.     

Characterization of some ancient glass beads unearthed from the Kizil reservoir and Wanquan cemeteries in Xinjiang,China

A total of 33 ancient glass beads unearthed from the Kizil reservoir cemetery and Wanquan cemetery in Xinjiang are studied using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS) and other methods. The detailed study of the glassy matrices, the crystalline inclusions and the microstructural heterogeneities for these glass beads has revealed some valuable information to help in the understanding of their possible manufacturing technology and provenance. At least two different types of glass were present in the two cemeteries. For the first time, antimony‐based colourant/opacifier—for example, Pb₂Sb₂O₇ or CaSb₂O₆—was systematically identified in some beads of plant‐ash type soda–lime glass dated to about 1000–500 bc . The limited number of potash glass beads from the Kizil reservoir cemetery, which were dated to about 500–300 bc , used tin oxide as an opacifier. The diverse resources of the soda–lime and potash glasses indicate the existence of a complex trade network between China and the West much earlier than the Western Han Dynasty.     

STABLE ISOTOPIC RECONSTRUCTION OF DIET AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY IN A POSTBELLUM AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN RURAL GEORGIA

Abstract

Despite popular belief, the Great Migration following the Civil War was not a singular event but a long-term demographic phenomenon marked by freed African Americans returning to their natal communities or establishing new communities elsewhere and was presaged by smallerscale movements of African Americans between different regions of the Emancipation-era South. This study analyzes carbon and oxygen (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) stable isotope ratios in enamel carbonate from 34 individuals recovered from the Avondale Burial Place, an Emancipation-era cemetery, in Macon, Georgia, in order to reconstruct residential origin and early-life diet and examine whether these individuals immigrated to the site from elsewhere in the South. Carbon isotope results suggest mixed C₃/C₄ agro-pastoral subsistence rather than a reliance on C₄ products such as corn and corn-fed livestock as suggested by historical accounts. Oxygen isotope results suggest that the majority of individuals buried in the Avondale Burial Place were likely born in the area as well; in comparison with other isotopic studies from postbellum contexts, these results support the interpretation that the Great Migration was a gradual process with varying impacts in different areas. Interestingly, a sex-based divergence in both carbon and oxygen isotope values during childhood suggests differences in diet and water consumption possibly related to divergent gender roles. Overall, these results indicate that despite continued hardships, the members of this community consisted of local residents, and they do not indicate the presence of migrant individuals; this isotopic analysis, therefore, contributes to a growing body of bioarchaeological research reconstructing the lost and varied histories of postbellum African American communities.     

A Note on the Demographic and Health Pattern of a Historical Sleeping Sickness Cemetery at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital,Maun, Botswana

A part of a historical cemetery used to bury victims of sleeping sickness in Maun, Botswana, was recently uncovered by a water supply improvement construction project. The cemetery had become obliterated from the surface and from the memories of the people resulting in the use of the land for residential purposes. Twelve skeletons were excavated along the water supply trench and have since been buried at one of the new village cemeteries. There were eight males, two females and two individuals of unknown sex. They were young adults ranging in age from 18 to 35 years at the time of death. Dental modifications were used to estimate the cultural identities of two individuals. Some of the remains had been buried with body clothing such as belts and necklaces. Poor dental health was most probably associated with poor nutrition and poor oral hygiene among the population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Original DocumentsDivination in the Fifteenth Century by Aid of a Magical Crystal

It is rare to find infant or neo-natal burials in the cemeteries of Roman Britain before the fourth century. There is evidence to suggest that it was as a result of the influence of Christianity that these small bodies came to be buried informal or designated cemeteries, rather than merely being disposed of in convenient pits or ditches, or under the floors or just outside the houses in settlements and towns. It would seem that the presence of neo-natal burials given the same burial rites as adults in a west—east cemetery carefully laid out to avoid intersection of graves or disturbance of other burials is a pointer to identification of the cemetery as Christian.     

毛庆沟墓地年代学研究

<正>位于内蒙古凉城县蛮汉山南麓的毛庆沟墓地,已发掘79座墓葬,其中东西向墓葬67座,南北向墓葬12座,墓葬间没有发现打破或叠压关系。这批材料最先于1982年披露,1986年发表考古发掘报告(以下简称《报告》)。报告     

HIDDEN DIFFERENCES BENEATH A SURFACE EQUALITY: MORTUARY VARIABILITY IN TWO LATE-NINETEENTH-CENTURY CEMETERIES IN CRAWFORD COUNTY,ARKANSA

Abstract

Located in northwest Arkansas, the Becky Wright and Eddy cemeteries were inundated during expansion of a reservoir. These small, contemporary, Euroamerican burial grounds date to the late nineteenth century and were situated less than a mile apart. Based on above-ground features, the cemeteries appeared virtually identical, both displaying characteristics typical of the Upland South Cemetery type. Contextualized analysis of the graves, however, revealed dramatic differences between the cemeteries.     

Spatial autocorrelation of ABO serotypes in mediaeval cemeteries as an indicator of ethnic and familial structure

Hungarian cemeteries in an effort to detect familial structure. Different ethnic groups buried in separate areas dominated the spatial pattern in two cemeteries, leaving insufficient power to test for familial patterns. In a third, ethnically homogeneous cemetery, no evidence of familial structure was found. A simulation showed that familial structure could readily be detected by the methods applied when it exists in an ethnically homogeneous population. The spatial autocorrelation methods employed would have detected the ethnic diversity in the two cemeteries containing graves from different populations, even in the absence of archaeological information to that effect. A restricted randomization procedure was developed to test two alternative hypotheses concerning the ethnic designations of the occupants of the cemetery at Szentendre. As a result of this test, the hypothesis that graves located in a rough circle (putative Lombards) differ serologically from those located at the periphery (putative nonLombards) is strongly preferred over a second hypothesis based on grave goods which would imply spatially random placement of the graves of the two ethnic units.     

An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Greenbank,Darlington

NORTH of the R. Tees pagan Anglo-Saxon cemeteries are only conspicuous by their virtual absence; and, from the ten undoubted examples known,¹ both the quality and quantity of the objects recovered do little to illuminate the Anglo-Saxon element in the culture of Bernicia—a kingdom which probably owed much of its numerical strength to native British survival.² In view of the scant evidence available, it is surprising that the finds from Darlington, the richest cemetery N. of the Tees, have never been fully published before.³ This paper seeks to make good this omission.     

Sites of memory in the Holy Land: the design of the British war cemeteries in Mandate Palestine

British war cemeteries of WW1 form a world embracing system of cemeteries, scattered over a wide range of sites and landscapes wherever Imperial soldiers died during the war. Although recent interest in memory and commemoration has made the British war cemeteries of the Great War a much-studied subject, the spatial dimension of this enormous undertaking remains somewhat out of focus. The geographical context, however, is an important factor in shaping the meanings for each cemetery. In each, the memory of the war intersects and interacts with the historical memory carried by the site. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cemeteries of the Palestine campaign, above all in Jerusalem. The paper follows the history of the design of war cemeteries of the Palestine campaign, and examines the ways the cemeteries and their design relate to their particular geographical context, and the impact this context may have on their interpretation     

Biological Kinship,Postmarital Residence and the Emergence of Cemetery Formalisation at Prehistoric Marathon

This paper examines the role of kinship and postmarital residence in the emergence of organised cemeteries during the transition from the Final Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age at Marathon, Attica. Focusing on the cemetery of Tsepi, we performed intra‐cemetery biodistance analysis to test whether biological relatedness structured spatial organisation of tombs, and whether postmarital residence was matrilocal or patrilocal. Dental metric, dental morphological and cranial non‐metric data were collected from 293 individuals and subjected to multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, Euclidean distance ordination via multidimensional scaling), binomial probability calculations, Ripley's K analysis and determinant ratio analysis. Results indicated phenotypic similarity among some tomb co‐interments; however, outliers suggested that within‐tomb burial depended on a variety of factors that could include affinal, fictive or practical kinship. There was strong evidence for phenotypic patterning by tomb row, indicating that cemetery structure at Tsepi was organised according to biological lineages. This was especially evident for females. Male phenotypic variation was higher than that of females, though not significantly so. The results of intra‐cemetery biodistance analysis at Tsepi reveal a complex mortuary programme that emphasised biological kinship within an exogamous and likely matrilocal system of mate exchange. When considered in light of ethnographic evidence, the practice of male exogamy may correlate with the coastal location of the community and the maritime activities that structured the economy during the emergence of social complexity in the region. This paper illustrates the potential of biodistance analyses for elucidating aspects of social life in the Aegean. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

略论殷墟王陵制度的形成

无论是传世文献还是甲骨金文,均反映出晚商时期有一个嫡庶观念逐渐加强的过程,而这个过程与殷墟西北岗王陵区不断突出王墓的作法是一致的。两个方面均反映出晚商王权的逐步加强以及父死子继王位传承制度的逐渐巩固与最终确立。西北岗王陵西区是比较纯粹的王陵区,但东区埋葬的人员较为复杂,只能看作是一处高等级王室墓地。西北岗王陵区可能开启于殷墟文化一期偏早阶段,并可能一开始就大致划定兆域界限。武丁在位时期可能对王陵制度作过重大调整,即西区只葬殷王,其他成员只能葬在王陵东区、小屯宫殿宗庙区西南部墓地以及后岗西区墓地等处。殷王陵不奉行夫妻并穴合葬,王与后分处。但王陵东区有异姓陪葬的现象。殷王陵区有象征国家政权的一面,与殷墟其他普通族墓地有较大差异。     

Interpreting Rock-Cut Grave Cemeteries: The Early Medieval Necropolis and Enclosure of São Gens,Portugal

EXCAVATION AT SÃO GENS (Guarda district) in central Portugal has revealed an early medieval rock-cut grave cemetery and settlement, along with Roman and prehistoric evidence. The site presents an exceptionally rich palimpsest of archaeological monuments. This paper reviews the findings and seeks to address the problem of interpreting rock-cut grave cemeteries, by describing a spatial analytical methodology that draws on comparisons with early medieval cemeteries in England, as a means of enhancing the information deficit of such necropolises. In the light of these analyses, an interpretation of the São Gens site is offered in conclusion.     

The Diagnosis and Context of a Facial Deformity from an Anglo‐Saxon Cemetery at Spofforth,North Yorkshire

An individual aged between 6 and 7 years at death from a 7th to 9th century cemetery at Village Farm, Spofforth, North Yorkshire, presented significant pathological swelling to the left facial bones. The ectocranial surface was bulbous and uneven, and the expanded diploë was densely packed with a mass of thick trabeculae. Radiographic and histological analysis, in combination with the macroscopically observed pathological changes, supported the differential diagnosis of fibrous dysplasia. The skeletal changes to the left face and jaw would have resulted in a significant facial deformity. Examples of individuals with physical impairments or disfigurements from Anglo‐Saxon cemeteries are rare. Nevertheless, it seems that a significant proportion are afforded unusual burial practices more often associated with deviancy, for example, at the edge of cemeteries or on a reversed orientation, seemingly indicating that their diminished physical capabilities or altered physical appearance had a detrimental effect on their social status. The child from Spofforth was, however, buried in a normative manner, extended, supine and in a plain earth‐cut grave, with no indication that their facial deformity had prompted unusual funerary provision. This example of facial disfigurement contributes to a growing corpus of potentially disabled individuals from early medieval England. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The modern cemetery: a design for life

In discussing the importance of public health anxieties within the birth of modern forms of governmentality, Foucault frequently mentions, but does not develop, the questions that arose about the appropriate disposal of the dead. In this paper, I explore the spatial rationalities of the modern cemetery in England in the mid-nineteenth century. As an illustrative example, I provide a detailed analysis of John Claudius Loudon's proposals for cemeteries. Loudon, a horticultural writer and designer who campaigned vigorously for cemetery reform, became crucial in the reconfiguration of the cemetery. I use Loudon's ideas as a dispositif, a material space that also provides a method of analysis for illuminating the operation of various inter-related governmental spatialisations and techniques. Specifically, I illustrate how the cemetery captures the diversification and widening of dispositional techniques of institutions and, at the same time, integrates hygienic imperatives, aesthetic-moral registers and an array of educational-civic functions. I argue that the cemetery, in real and ideal terms, manifests and intensifies a variety of rural and urban spaces and, paradoxically, generates a model milieu for the living.