Burial containers – A hidden aspect of mortuary practices: Archaeothanatology at Ban Non Wat, Thailand

Interpreting a ritual funerary area at the Early Neolithic site of Tell Qarassa North (South Syria, late 9th millennium BC)

“…The study of the funerary context at Tell Qarassa North followed the procedures of ''archaeothanalogy'' Duday and Guillon, 2006;Nilsson Stutz, 2006;Duday, 2009;Harris and Tayles, 2012). This approach provides a theoretical and methodological framework based on taphonomy and archaeological deposit formation processes, through observations in the field complemented in the laboratory.…”

Aspects of health in prehistoric mainland Southeast Asia: Indicators of stress in response to the intensification of rice agriculture

“…If females were born and grew-up elsewhere, this could result in a different genetic potential for stature and environmental conditions during growth and development, which may account for the changes in female stature seen at Ban Non Wat. However, isotopic analysis indicates that there is a distinct lack of immigrants to Ban Non Wat in prehistory (King et al, 2013) and differences between the males and females were not found at the site from the chemical analysis of diet (King et al, 2013) or the examination of mortuary treatment (Higham, 2011;Harris and Tayles, 2012).…”

“…This shift in environmental conditions is supported by isotopic evidence, which indicates a decreased reliance of rice in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age (King et al, 2013). King and colleagues (2013) suggest that this change in rice consumption is the result of an increasingly arid environment making rice cultivation more difficult, forcing the population to have a greater reliance on alternative types of subsistence, potentially altering the quantity and quality of the food consumed.The mortuary record indicates that changes occurred in sociocultural circumstances over time, although there is limited evidence of social differences between the sexes in mortuary treatment (Higham, 2011;Harris and Tayles, 2012) and diet (King et al, 2013). Differences in type and quantity of mortuary artifacts between periods indicates the presence of a seemingly elite group during the Early Bronze Age, which has been interpreted as a movement towards a hierarchical society over time (Higham, 2011).…”

The Đa Bút Period in Northern Vietnam: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

“…In regards to explanations behind the sitting posture frequently encountered in Đa Bút burials, the principles of archaeothanatological research could suggests that the dead were interned as bundle burials, or placed in large constricting baskets (Duday et al 2006;Willis and Tayles 2009;Harris and Tayles 2012). However, this approach to burial recording has yet to be applied to any Đa Bút assemblage.…”

“…Huffer and Oxenham in review), including the possibility of a much more refined study of variation in the Đa Bút "seated" burial pattern using state-of-the-art archaeothanatological methods (e.g. Harris and Tayles 2012;Willis and Tayles 2009). It is research such as this that will open up new windows onto daily life during this crucial time period; a time period for which the big-picture archaeological research discussed above has set the stage.…”