Symbolically Overloaded’ Burials

Early Fourth-Millennium bc Hunter-Fisher-Gatherer Mortuary Practices from North-Eastern Europe

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7988745
AutoresMarja Ahola (0000-0003-2279-3788, University of Oulu, autor correspondente), Aija Macāne (0000-0002-8839-6438, University of Helsinki), Kerkko Nordqvist (0000-0001-8696-1707, University of Helsinki)
Ano2025
Volume28
Fascículo2
Páginas164-182
Data de publicação2025-01-22
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoEuropean Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1461-9571 • E-ISSN: 1741-2722
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/eaa.2024.54
OpenAlexW4406717826
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas19

At the beginning of the fourth millennium bc , the Typical Comb Ware culture (TCW) emerged in north-eastern Europe. One of its characteristics is a wealth of ‘amber’ or ‘ochre’ graves and mortuary practices. This article concerns the graves’ key elements, their distribution and frequency, and their relationship to the TCW phenomenon. The analysis of seventy-seven graves from twenty-three sites suggests that TCW graves are a materialization of a complex set of practices in which visual aspects (colours, contrasts, and combinations of materials) and performance play significant roles. Given the small number and distribution of graves, these practices were reserved for particular people and/or occasions, and the tradition only lasted for a few centuries. Interpreted from the perspective of identity production and sociocultural networks, these graves and associated practices are defined as ‘symbolically overloaded’, with buried bodies and activities intended to be seen

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Hunter-gatherer · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · History