Theatres of Closure

Process and Performance in Inhumation Burial Rites in Early Medieval Britain

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6044151
AutoresSue Harrington (University College London, autor de correspondencia), Stuart Brooke (0000-0002-1124-4890, University College London), Stuart Semple (0000-0001-6461-6814, Durham University), Andrew R Millard (0000-0002-8290-7428, Durham University), Andrew Millard (0000-0002-3895-2854)
Año2020
Volumen30
Número3
Páginas389-412
Fecha de publicación2020-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0959774320000050
OpenAlexW3015291220
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas18

Inhumation burials are recorded in Britain and Europe during excavations in a standardized way, especially graves of early medieval date. Just a limited number of attributes are usually foregrounded and these mainly concern skeletal identification, the grave plan and, when a burial is furnished, a list of objects, particularly metalwork, as well as occasional reference to burial structures, if present. In this paper, we argue that concealed within these recorded details are attributes that often receive little attention, but which can provide evidence for community investment in the individual funerary rite. These include grave orientation, grave morphology, the body position and the empty spaces in the grave, as well as categories of material culture. We argue here that these factors enable us to define communal burial profiles and can facilitate the identification of group perceptions and actions in dealing with death. By capitalizing on these additional aspects of funerary ritual, archaeologists can move away from a general dependency on well-furnished burials as the main stepping-off point for discussion of social and cultural issues. This has particular relevance for regions where unfurnished burial rites are the norm and where furnished rites do not rely on a wealth of metalwork

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Political science · Rite · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History