Twin Burials in Prehistory: A Possible Case from the Iron Age of Germany

Compared with other mammals, multiple births are rare in humans. The attitude towards multiple births varies widely among cultures. Although expected to be present, evidence for twin burials from prehistoric times is scarce. However, knowledge about the attitude of ancient societies towards twins, as expressed for instance by funeral practices, would provide interesting insights into the spiritual world of these people. In 2001, an Iron Age settlement site was excavated near Ochtendung, Germany. The skeletons of two perinatal individuals were found in situ in shallow depressions close to post‐holes of a house pit in the western part of the settlement. The individuals appear to have been deposited in the depressions without special care, as one of them was face down. No archaeological findings were associated with the skeletons. Age at death of the two individuals was estimated to be between 36 and 40 weeks' gestation. The cusp patterns of the lower left first molars exhibit a similar configuration of the disto‐buccal cusps in both individuals, probably a division of the hypoconid. The investigation of the bones and the teeth revealed a similar stage of development of the individuals and supports the hypothesis of closely related individuals, probably twins. An interpretation as ‘building sacrifices’ seems unwarranted, considering the careless deposition of the bodies and the absence of any grave goods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ÉVOLUTION DE L'AGRICULTURE MARAÎCHÈRE AU QUÉBEC DE 1940 À 1990: SUPERFICIES,PRODUCTIONS ET DIVERSITÉ

Depuis plus d'un siècle, l'agriculture québécoise en général, et la production maraîchère en particulier, ont subi d'importantes transformations. Cette étude historique vise à comprendre comment la production maraîchère a évolué par rapport aux changements dans l'environnement décisionnel général de l'agriculture entre 1940 et 1990. L'analyse des données statiques de superficie, de production et de rendement pour 12 légumes ont permis d'identifier trois périodes, intercalées d'années transitoires, dans l'évolution de la production maraîchère référant chacune à une stratégie agricole particulière. La première (1940–1957) correspond à une stratégie agricole de type familial traditionnel; la seconde (1963–1975), à une agriculture marchande spécialisée fondée sur la maximisation des revenus à court terme par intensification; la troisième (1980–1990), à une agriculture marchande diversifiée fondée également sur une maximisation à court terme. Les facteurs externes de l'environnement décisionnel qui ont entraîné ces changements sont identifiés et discutès. For more than a century, Quebec agriculture in general, and market-gardening production in particular, have experienced important changes. This study, using a historical perspective, seeks to understand how market gardening evolved in relation to changes in the broad decision environment for agriculture between 1940 and 1990. Statistical analysis of data on the areas cultivated, production levels, and yields for 12 vegetable crops revealed three distinct periods, separated by periods of transition, in the evolution of market gardening. Each period is characterized by a particular type of agricultural development strategy. The first period (1940–1957) is characterized by a focus on the traditional family form; the second (1963–1975), by a specialized market agriculture driven by short-term income-maximization intensification; the third (1980–1990), by a diversified marketoriented agriculture, also based on short-term income maximization. External environmental factors that stimulated these changes are identified and discussed.     

Prediction Models for Age‐at‐Death Estimates for Calves,Using Unfused Epiphyses and Diaphyses

For cattle (Bos taurus), age estimations using dental criteria before the eruption of the first molar (3–8 months) have large error margins. This hampers archaeozoological investigation into perinatal mortality or the putative slaughtering of very young calves for milk exploitation. Previous ageing methods for subjuveniles have focused on the length of unfused bones, but it is rarely possible to use them because they are restricted to foetuses and because of the fragmentation of bones. This paper presents new age prediction models based on length, breadth and depth of post cranial bones produced from a dataset of modern calves (n = 27). This reference collection was compiled from material of known age at death, sex and breed from collections in Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland. Linear regression models were constructed using the modern data for age prediction, and these models were then successfully tested and assessed using a Middle Neolithic assemblage of complete calves' skeletons from Bourguignon‐Lès‐Morey, France. From the assessment, the astragalus and metapodials were determined to be the most reliable bones, and the femur was the worst. Measurements of the epiphyseal and distal elements and depth measurements were the most reliable. For ages before 12 months, these models can provide ±1 month age estimates. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Auditory Exostoses in Pre‐Hispanic Populations of the Lower Paraná Wetlands,Argentina

Auditory exostosis (AE) has been characterised from the medical and anthropological perspectives as an adaptive biological response to repeated immersion in cold water as well as exposure to cold environmental temperatures and wind chill. At the archaeological level, the highest prevalence has been found in societies living in coastal environments in areas located at 30–45° north or south latitude with a subsistence pattern based on fishing and mollusc gathering. The region of the lower Paraná River wetlands in Argentina is an area dissected by multiple rivers, streams, and lakes, especially in the Paraná delta near Buenos Aires where these features create a landscape composed of many islands. A variety of archaeological analyses performed on faunal remains, stone tools, bone, and ceramic artefacts are consistent with the interpretation that towards the end of the late Holocene (2000–700 BP), this region was inhabited by hunter–gatherer populations with a subsistence pattern based mainly on fishing and hunting along with the gathering of molluscs. In this work, we present an analysis of 176 crania of individuals recovered from 21 archaeological sites in the region. Results indicate the presence of AE in 6.25% of the cases, with all of these corresponding to adult male individuals. This moderate prevalence coincides with the expected levels for populations where contact with water is frequent in regions located at 30–45° latitude. The absence of female individuals showing evidence of AE allows us to suggest a possible sex‐based division of labour. We hope that this work can contribute to ongoing discussion of the economic and social aspects that characterised pre‐Hispanic life in the study area, while also expanding the available information on AE at the worldwide level. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Human Response to Climate Change during the Umm an‐Nar/Wadi Suq Transition in the United Arab Emirates

Stable oxygen isotope ratios in archaeological human dental enamel represent an under‐utilised tool in the examination of changing climatic patterns in the ancient world. In the Oman Peninsula at the end of the third millennium bc , rapid aridification was accompanied by a breakdown in interregional trade relations; however, the human response to these changes is poorly understood. At the Bronze Age necropolis at Shimal in the United Arab Emirates, dental enamel from individuals interred in both Umm an‐Nar (ca 2700–2000 bc ) and Wadi Suq (ca 2000–1300 bc ) tombs underwent oxygen, strontium and carbon isotope analyses to examine how local inhabitants of southeastern Arabia responded to both environmental and socioeconomic change. While individuals from Shimal exhibit a clear shift in mean δ¹⁸O_c(VPDB) values from the Umm an‐Nar (−3.5 ± 0.6‰, 1σ) to the Wadi Suq (−2.4 ± 0.9‰, 1σ), corresponding ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹³C_ap signatures display homogeneity indicative of continuity in Bronze Age lifeways. Together, these data highlight the ability of local communities to successfully adapt to their changing environs (in lieu of societal collapse or a shift to a more mobile lifestyle) in an effort to maintain their way of life. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Stone Tidal Fish Weirs of the Molène Archipelago,Iroise Sea,Brittany, Western France: a long‐term tradition with early megalithic origins

This reports on a project that combined evidence gleaned from aerial photographs, place‐names, interviews, topography, LIDAR data, and sonar bathymetry to locate stone tidal fish weirs in the Molène Archipelago. The results were verified by diver and pedestrian visual surveys. Models of Holocene sea‐level change allowed a group of possibly Late Mesolithic–Early Neolithic weirs to be recognized, with a second group broadly dated to the later Neolithic–Early Bronze Age. The construction of these long megalithic structures is compared to the funerary monuments for which the Molène Archipelago is well known, in terms of technique, cost, and societal organization.     

Precipitation of lead–zinc ores in the Mississippi Valley‐type deposit at Trèves,Cévennes region of southern France

The Trèves zinc–lead deposit is one of several Mississippi Valley‐type (MVT) deposits in the Cévennes region of southern France. Fluid inclusion studies show that the ore was deposited at temperatures between approximately 80 and 150°C from a brine that derived its salinity mainly from the evaporation of seawater past halite saturation. Lead isotope studies suggest that the metals were extracted from local basement rocks. Sulfur isotope data and studies of organic matter indicate that the reduced sulfur in the ores was derived from the reduction of Mesozoic marine sulfate by thermochemical sulfate reduction or bacterially mediated processes at a different time or place from ore deposition. The large range of δ³⁴S values determined for the minerals in the deposit (12.2–19.2‰ for barite, 3.8–13.8‰ for sphalerite and galena, and 8.7 to ?21.2‰ for pyrite), are best explained by the mixing of fluids containing different sources of sulfur. Geochemical reaction path calculations, based on quantitative fluid inclusion data and constrained by field observations, were used to evaluate possible precipitation mechanisms. The most important precipitation mechanism was probably the mixing of fluids containing different metal and reduced sulfur contents. Cooling, dilution, and changes in pH of the ore fluid probably played a minor role in the precipitation of ores. The optimum results that produced the most metal sulfide deposition with the least amount of fluid was the mixing of a fluid containing low amounts of reduced sulfur with a sulfur‐rich, metal poor fluid. In this scenario, large amounts of sphalerite and galena are precipitated, together with smaller quantities of pyrite precipitated and dolomite dissolved. The relative amounts of metal precipitated and dolomite dissolved in this scenario agree with field observations that show only minor dolomite dissolution during ore deposition. The modeling results demonstrate the important control of the reduced sulfur concentration on the Zn and Pb transport capacity of the ore fluid and the volumes of fluid required to form the deposit. The studies of the Trèves ores provide insights into the ore‐forming processes of a typical MVT deposit in the Cévennes region. However, the extent to which these processes can be extrapolated to other MVT deposits in the Cévennes region is problematic. Nevertheless, the evidence for the extensive migration of fluids in the basement and sedimentary cover rocks in the Cévennes region suggests that the ore forming processes for the Trèves deposit must be considered equally viable possibilities for the numerous fault‐controlled and mineralogically similar MVT deposits in the Cévennes region.     

ANALYSE GÉOGRAPHIQUE DE L'INCIDENCE DES CANCERS AU QUÉBEC EN FONCTION DE L'UTILISATION DES PESTICIDES EN AGRICULTURE, 1982–1983

Comme ailleurs dans le monde, on se préoccupe de plus en plus au Québec de l'utilisation massive des pesticides en agriculture. Des données sur l'utilisation de ces produits et sur l'incidence du cancer du cerveau, des tissur lymphatiques et de la leucémie en 1982–83, ont été cornpilées à I'échelle de 34 bassins hydrographiques situés dans la partie méridionale du Québec. Le calcul des indices comparatifs de morbidité (ICM) a permis d'évaluer l'incidence des cancers dans les bassins oÙ I'utilisation des pesticides en agriculture est la plus importante depuis plus de 15 ans. Pour la leucémie, un excès statistiquement significatif d'incidence chez les hommes (ICM = 1,69, p ≤ 0.05) a été calculé dans la population rurale agricole du bassin de la rivière Yamaska, ce dernier figurant parmi les bassins très exposés aux pesticides. Le calcul des risques relatifs (RR) à l'échelle des municipalités du bassin de la Yamaska a montré un excès statistiquement significatif de risque (p ≤ 0,05) pour la leucémie chez les hommes dans les municipalités rurales agricoles IRK = 2,27) par rapport aux municipalités urbaines. Il existe également un excès statistiquement significatif (p ≤ 0,05) chez les hornmes dans les municipalités yur s alimentent en eau potable dans des puits (RR = 2.07) par rapport à celles qui s'alirnentent aux rivières, mais le rôle de la source d'alimentation en eau est difficile à isoler. puisque la plupart des municipalités qui s'ali mentent dans des puits sont également des rnunicipalités rurales agricoles. Les résultats globaux de cette étude exploratoire au niveau du bassin de la Yamaska permet-rent de soulever l'hypothese d'une relation entre la leucémie et l'utilisation massive des pesticides en agriculture dans cette région du Québec. Cette hypothèse mériterait d'être vérifiée par des études de type épidémiologique au niveau individuel. As elsewhere in the world, researchers in Quebec are becoming increasingly concerned about the extensive use of pesticides in agriculture. Data for 1982–83 concerning the use of these products and the incidence of leukemia and of cancer of the brain and the lymphatic tissues have been tabulated for 34 drainage basins located in southern Quebec. The calculation of the standard morbidity ratio (SMR) allowed us to evaluate the incidence of cancers in these drainage basins where agricultural pesticides have been used at high levels for more than 15 years. For leukemia, a statistically significant higher SMR (1.69 p ≤ 0.05) was shown to exist among men in the rural farm population in the basin of the Yamaska River. This basin was one of the areas most exposed to agricultural pesticides. The calculation of the relative risks (RR) for men at the level of municipalities within the Yamaska River basin showed a statistically significant excess (p ≤ 0.05) for leukemia in the rural farm municipalities (RR =2.27) as compared to urban municipalities. There was also a statistically significant excess (p ≤ 0.05) for men in municipalities that draw their drinking water from wells (RR =2.07) as compared to those where water is drawn from rivers. However, the role of the source of drinking water is difficult to isolate because most municipalities that draw their water from wells are also agricultural and rural. The overall results of this exploratory study from the basin of the Yamaska River suggest that there may be a relationship between leukemia and the extensive use of agricultural pesticides in this region of Quebec. This hypothesis could be verified in epidemiological studies at the individual level.     

MORPHOSÉDIMENTOLOGIE D'UNE PLATE-FORME INTERTIDALE ROCHEUSE EN ZONE TEMPÉRÉE FROIDE, ÎLE D'ANTICOSTI, QUÉBEC

La géomorphologie côtière au sud-ouest de l'île d'Anticosti est dominée par une large plate-forme intertidale taillée dans des calcaires. Des flèches transversales, apparentées aux queues-de-comète mais en sens inverse par rapport à la côte, sont les formes d'accumulation les plus remarquables résultant de la dynamique littorale. Perpendiculaires au rivage, ces flèches prennent naissance à partir de ressauts rocheux, dégagés par érosion différentielle de la plate-forme littorale, d'où l'appellation proposée de « flèche transversale de bordure de plate-forme ». Les matériaux d'accumulation, très grossiers, proviennent en majeure partie de roches calcaires. L'évolution de ces flèches est soumise à l'apport de matériaux provenant du substrat rocheux de la plateforme. L'analyse des indices d'émoussé et de la granulo-métrie des matériaux révèle, qu'à la limite inférieure de la plate-forme, les sédiments sont très grossiers et nettement anguleux. La progression des sédiments vers le rivage par les courants de marée et de dérive littorale, issus de la réfraction et de la diffraction des vagues, provoque leur désagrégation en sédiments plus fins, accentuant par le fait même leur émoussé. L'analyse sédimentologique de segments de plage, de cordons littoraux et de flèches transversales révèle le rôle prépondérant de la plate-forme intertidale en tant que source d'alimentation en matériaux. On confirme l'hypothèse selon laquelle les sédiments, à dominance de galets et de graviers, proviendraient de la désagrégation des ressauts structuraux de la plate-forme intertidale par gélifraction et seraient transportés par les courants de marée et de dérive vers le rivage. Par centre, aucune évidence de transport vers la mer n'a été clairement reconnue. La dynamique d'évolution littorale s'avère donc conditionnée à la fois par la présence de la plate-forme qui contrôle les processus hydrodynamiques et par la disponibilité en matériaux issus de sa destruction. Bien que les flèches transversales soient très bien développées, le taux d'érosion apparemment faible de la plate-forme, ainsi que la stabilité des autres formes d'accumulation sur la période de 50 ans de l'analyse par la photointerprétation multidate, tendent à indiquer un schéma d'évolution littorale lente ou tout au moins dèpassant cette récurrence de 50 ans. Intertidal rock-platform is the dominant coastal landform of southwest Anticosti Island and is also the main control of coastal dynamics. Transverse bars are the most remarkable sediment bodies being formed at the surface of this limestone rock-platform. The bars extend on the landward side of small bedrock knolls that were produced by differential erosion of the shore platform, and so we propose the name of ‘platform edge transverse bar’. Bar sediments consist almost exclusively of limestone cobbles that are derived from the surrounding platform. Pebble roundness and grain-size trends indicate that sediments are coarser and very angular at the proximal end of the bars, near the outer limit of the platform; clasts become progressively better rounded and finer-grained as they are transported shoreward by waves and longshore currents. Whether at high or low tide, wave attenuation takes place mainly at the outer limit of the platform; this provides an explanation for the apparently low rate of shoreline erosion, and it also suggests that only severe storms are likely to displace the coarse intertidal sediments and to modify the main coastal landforms. However, the presence of sediments on the platform indicates that some erosion is taking place, mainly by frost action. The rocky coastal platform with its low erosion rate is thus a highly stable landform, and, as a result, coastline evolution seems to be slow in the 50 years period of an airphoto analysis.     

Laboratory taphonomy—material loss and skeletal part profiles: the example of Saint–Germain–la–Rivière (Gironde,France)

Taphonomic studies can allow us to reconstruct the history of faunal assemblages. However, few studies concern themselves with measuring the effect of sampling problems and specific analytical procedures. Zooarchaeological study of the site of Saint–Germain–la–Rivière is instructive in this regard. Taphonomic studies suggest a loss of material during curation and storage. The study showed when unplotted specimens are not taken into account, the skeletal part profiles are modified in a significant way. In level 1, only square M21 can be used for analysis. By contrast, the quantity of specimens from level 3 in squares L21 and L22 rich in shaft fragments is so large compared to the other squares that this level can be studied in its totality.     

A Theresian Moment: French Catholics and the Spirituality of the Ordinary in the 1930s*

The subject of this article is the lived religion of lay Catholics devoted to the woman described as one of the greatest saints of the modern era, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, known as Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897). It draws on letters written to the Lisieux Carmel in Normandy at the time of the Munich crisis in 1938. Much scholarship on the laity in the interwar years concerns itself with renewal and militancy in the public sphere. By contrast, the body of evidence at hand provides insights into continuities in established forms of devotion and into the religious thinking of the kinds of believers about whom we know relatively little. I argue that Catholics influenced by Thérèse's teachings, notably the “Little Way” and her “Spirituality of the Ordinary,” modelled the saint's destabilisation of the active/contemplative (or public/private) dichotomy. The letters reveal the entanglement of the spiritual and the secular in the lives of ordinary Catholics and how, after Thérèse, they participated in the Christian animation of society beyond the home. In their writing we also see evidence of the correspondents' attachment to the universal Church when they felt, acutely, the uncertainties of the international situation.     

“Kontakte” – Reflexionen naturwissenschaftlich‐technischer Innovationsprozesse in der frühen Elektronischen Musik Karlheinz Stockhausens (1952–1960)

“Kontakte” – Reflections of Innovative Processes in Science and Technology in Karlheinz Stockhausen's Early Electronic Music (1952–1960). The following article will give an overview of the interdependence of aesthetic and scientific/technical developments in German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's early works of electronic music. It is an outline of the major steps in his artistic evolution between the works “Etude (Musique concrète)” and “Kontakte”, their relation to innovations in psychoacoustic and sound‐studio technology as well as the impact, that the works from that period had on the fundamental changes in musical aesthetics during the course of the 20th century.     

FLÈCHES TRANSVERSALES DE PLATE-FORME ROCHEUSE DE L'ÎLE D'ANTICOSTI, QUÉBEC

L'étude de flèches transversales de la plate-forme sud de I'île d'Anticosti révèle l'évolution particulière de celles-ci par rapport à d'autres types de flèches littorales. La plate-forme, en contrôlant l'orientation et l'énergie des vagues et des courants de marée, répond de la progression des flèches vers le littoral. fes noyaux rocheux, parties plus résistantes des strates calcaires de la plateforme, constituent, pour leur part, I'amorce et le rempart des flèches. les sédiments arrachés à la plate-forme et au noyau lui-même s'accumulent derrière ce dernier. Le stade d'évolution propre à chaque fléche s'avère étroitement lié au degré d'altération du noyau. Quant au volume de sédiments impliqués et à I'aspect des flèches, ils sont respectivement fonction de fa disponibilité en sédiments et de I'infiuence de la topographie de la plate-forme aux environs des flèches (principalement revers de strate et dépressions). Par ailleurs, cette infhence topographique affecte grandement lemouvement des radeaux glaciels qui tendent à se délester et à s'échouer près du littoral a vec leur charge prélevée sur les fIèches ou sur d'autres formes sédimentaires de la plate-forme. The study of transverse spits on the coastal rocky platform of southern Anticosti Island reveals a distinct pattern of evolution. The platform, controlling wave orientation and energy as well as tidal currents, is responsible for spit extension towards the shoreline. Rock knobs, being the most resistant parts of the limestone strata of the platform, constitute starting points and anchors for the spits. Originating from the platform and from the knob, sediments accumulate behind the fatter. The stage of evolution of each spit is closely related to the state of alteration of the anchor rock knob. Sediment volume and spit morphology are respectively functions of sediment availability and platform topography (mainly strata back- slopes and depressions). Moreover, this topographic influence greatly affects the movement of ice floes that tend to drop their charge or run aground along the shoreline.     

Investigating foetal and perinatal mortality in prehistoric skeletal samples: a case study from a 3000-year-old Pacific Island cemetery site

The Teouma skeletal sample from Vanuatu represents one of the few truly colonising populations in the Pacific Islands. Therefore, investigating the factors that may have affected foetal/infant mortality in this population is potentially important for understanding the success of settlement in this region of the world. We investigate whether stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen in conjunction with skeletal ageing techniques, can aid in identifying whether the subadults from Teouma died before or after birth in an attempt to understand the potential threats to foetal and infant survival. Multiple skeletal ageing methods using diaphyseal lengths were used to age the young subadults (n = 7). Using regression-based skeletal ageing methods, four of the individuals were aged at around full-term gestation (37–42 weeks gestation), while the remaining three individuals died preterm. The isotope analyses did not assist in identifying the individuals that survived post-birth because none of the subadults displayed the 2–3‰ trophic increase in δ¹⁵N values expected for a breastfed infant, probably as a result of their young age. However, all of the foetal/perinatal individuals exhibited higher δ¹⁵N values in their bone collagen compared with the adult females of the sample, with two of the individuals demonstrating unusually high δ¹⁵N values. The δ¹³C values of the foetuses/perinates did not exhibit the same variation. We explore a number of possible explanations for this elevation of perinatal/foetal δ¹⁵N values and tentatively suggest that this is a result of in utero stress as a consequence of chronic maternal ill-health. The osteological and palaeodemographic evidence supports the assertion that females, foetuses and perinates were susceptible to environmental stress within this colonising population, resulting in early death of the perinatal individuals in addition to early terminations of pregnancy or premature birth possibly caused by infectious and/or metabolic diseases.     

Comments On ‘Technological Choices in Ceramic Production’, Archaeometry, 42(1), 1–76, 2000

Sillar, B., and Tite, M. S., 2000, The challenge of ‘technological choices for materials science approaches in archaeology, Archaeometry 42 , 2–20. Livingstone Smith, A., 2000, Processing clay for pottery in northern Cameroon: social and technical requirements, Archaeometry 42 , 21–42. Sillar, B., 2000, Dung by preference: the choice of fuel as an example of how Andean pottery production is embedded within wider technical, social, and economic practices, Archaeometry 42 , 43–60. Pool, C. A., 2000, Why a kiln? Firing technology in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz (Mexico), Archaeometry 42 , 61–76.     

A Rebuttal to Comments on ‘Sacrifice of the Social Outsider’

A recent publication by the author documented two probable cases of Klippel–Feil Syndrome at the site of Midnight Terror Cave in the Cayo District of Belize. Radiographic images recently taken of the multiple congenital fused vertebrae from these two individuals raised discussion regarding the initial assessment of Klippel–Feil Syndrome. This commentary further discusses the topic by dealing with researcher assumptions of the syndrome and indicates radiographic data do not provide enough evidence to change the initial assessment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Purposeful commingling of adult and child cranial elements from the Chelechol ra Orrak Cemetery,Palau

Continued excavation in 2007 of the early (ca. 2000–3000 calBP) cemetery at Chelechol ra Orrak in Palau, Micronesia revealed the remains of at least six individuals, adding to a minimum number of at least 25 other mostly fragmented individuals recovered in previous years. Of particular interest was the discovery of two isolated adult partial crania one of which, when emptied of sandy matrix, was found to contain a complete child's frontal bone. Here we explore the possibility that the placement of the skulls, particularly the commingling of the adult and child cranial elements, was done purposefully and discuss its significance for early Pacific mortuary behaviours. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tracking ‘Same–Sex Love’ from Antiquity to the Present in South Asia

This essay focuses on the anthology Same–Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History (2000), edited by Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai. Unlike many other recently published, celebratory ‘gay anthologies’, this book contributes to ongoing scholarly work on specific same–sex erotic practices and relations in historical and cultural context. We examine issues relevant to this anthology and other such projects: the use of ‘love’ and ‘same–sex’ as (stable) signifiers over centuries; the validity of interpreting social reality through literary texts from the period; the difficulties of locating ‘love’ in severely hierarchical, even slave–owning, societies; and the implications of using such anthologies in the classroom.