The Identification and Assessment of Mortuary Features
Three Case Studies from Ontario
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13085192 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael W Spence (0000-0003-2180-6436, Western University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 340-350 |
| Publication date | 2017-08-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Advances in Archaeological Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2326-3768 • E-ISSN: 2326-3768 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/aap.2017.22 |
| OpenAlex | W2745617219 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
The decision as to whether or not to excavate ancient Native mortuary features will require information on their extent and nature. This raises the question of how reliably these aspects can be assessed from the initial exposure of the feature, at its uppermost undisturbed level. In three Ontario cases in which the negotiators decided on full excavation of the features, it is possible to compare the initial assessments to the excavation results. In general, the information obtained in the initial assessments was accurate enough to allow the negotiating parties to make an informed decision, and to assist the archaeologists in their interpretation of the site. However, a major problem with initial assessments is that they sometimes fail to identify features containing only disarticulated minor skeletal elements, leading to an underestimation of the scope of the situation. The solution recommended here is to have a bioarchaeologist on the excavation team to promptly identify and assess any mortuary features and, when necessary, to excavate them
Archaeology · Excavation · Feature (linguistics · Forensic engineering · Identification (biology · Interpretation (philosophy · Mining engineering · Negotiation · Operations research · Political science · Scope (computer science · Computer Science · Engineering · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Law · Geology
| Highly cited | No |
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