Differential burial practices in Cyprus at the beginnig of the Iron Age /
Steel, Louise
Differential burial practices in Cyprus at the beginnig of the Iron Age / Louise Steel. - [Oxford]: [Oxbow Books], [1995]. - p. 199-204 : tables ; 30 cm.
Includes summary in English language (p. 199).
Includes bibliographical references.
In this paper I discus patterns in the funerary record of Cyprus in the eleventh-tenth centuries BC. I examine the evidence for differential treatment of individuals on the basis of age, sex and social position. (1) Child remains. Initial results are promising. Newly born and premature babies are excluded from burial in formal cemetery areas, and instead are located in settlement contexts, generally close to the city walls. More excavations however, are needed within Early Iron-Age settlements to determine whether it is exclusively this age group which is denied access to formal burial areas. Older children are admitted to ‘’adult’’ cemeteries, though they may be buried in pit/cit graves, rather than in chamber tombs. The ages of the children who are represented in the formal cemeteries are unknown, and so differential treatment according to age is not apparent. (2) Sex differentiation. The results are less promising, as the vast majority of the skeletons have not been sexed. What evidence is available indicates that there is no serious differentiation in a) the treatment/preparation of the corpse, b) the type of burial facility and c) the range of grave furniture. There are certain artifacts that may be restricted to a particular sex though this is only a tentative suggestion. (3) Ranking may be identified by wealth of grave-goods, the occurrence of ‘’symbols of office’’ and the size and type of burial facility. Whilst the contents of most tomb-groups are largely compatible, certain tombs do stand out because of the range and quality of their funerary furniture. It is suggested that these are indicative of ranking.
Αρχαιότητες
Αρχαιολογία--Συνέδρια
Εποχή του σιδήρου
Τάφοι
Ταφή
Ήθη και έθιμα--Ταφή
Παιδιά--Ταφή
Κύπρος--Αρχαιότητες
939.37
Differential burial practices in Cyprus at the beginnig of the Iron Age / Louise Steel. - [Oxford]: [Oxbow Books], [1995]. - p. 199-204 : tables ; 30 cm.
Includes summary in English language (p. 199).
Includes bibliographical references.
In this paper I discus patterns in the funerary record of Cyprus in the eleventh-tenth centuries BC. I examine the evidence for differential treatment of individuals on the basis of age, sex and social position. (1) Child remains. Initial results are promising. Newly born and premature babies are excluded from burial in formal cemetery areas, and instead are located in settlement contexts, generally close to the city walls. More excavations however, are needed within Early Iron-Age settlements to determine whether it is exclusively this age group which is denied access to formal burial areas. Older children are admitted to ‘’adult’’ cemeteries, though they may be buried in pit/cit graves, rather than in chamber tombs. The ages of the children who are represented in the formal cemeteries are unknown, and so differential treatment according to age is not apparent. (2) Sex differentiation. The results are less promising, as the vast majority of the skeletons have not been sexed. What evidence is available indicates that there is no serious differentiation in a) the treatment/preparation of the corpse, b) the type of burial facility and c) the range of grave furniture. There are certain artifacts that may be restricted to a particular sex though this is only a tentative suggestion. (3) Ranking may be identified by wealth of grave-goods, the occurrence of ‘’symbols of office’’ and the size and type of burial facility. Whilst the contents of most tomb-groups are largely compatible, certain tombs do stand out because of the range and quality of their funerary furniture. It is suggested that these are indicative of ranking.
Αρχαιότητες
Αρχαιολογία--Συνέδρια
Εποχή του σιδήρου
Τάφοι
Ταφή
Ήθη και έθιμα--Ταφή
Παιδιά--Ταφή
Κύπρος--Αρχαιότητες
939.37