Fear of the Dead? ‘Deviant’ Burials in Roman Northern Italy

An unusual case of prone position in the Punic/Roman necropolis of Monte Luna in Sardinia (Italy): A multi-disciplinary interpretation of Tomb 27

“…While each case reflects specific social and religious beliefs, they can generally be interpreted as an apotropaic way to prevent the person's return from the world of the dead, ensuring their permanent exile from the living community. There are testimonies from the Roman age to Medieval times, both in Italy and in Sardinia (Piga et al, 2015;Quercia, A., Cazzulo, M., 2016), that provide a basis for understanding the case presented here, however, there are some aspects that differ from the common profile of such deviant burials. The aim is to examine all the available archival evidence, the current literature, alongside a detailed archaeological analysis of the region, the time period and grave goods, and the biological data from the skeletal remains themselves.…”

“…But perhaps the most common explanation is related to necrophobia, mostly associated with a fear that the corpse could disturb the living (Tsaliki A., 2008). These transcultural superstitions across the Mediterranean region were linked to witches, werewolves, vampires, and other mythical creatures (Quercia A., Cazzulo M., 2016).…”

An Unusual Roman Fettered Burial from Great Casterton, Rutland

“…90 Hope 2000, 106;Alfayé 2009;Quercia and Cazzulo 2016, 30. 91 For example, Black 1986, 225-7;Alfayé 2009;Harward et al 2015, 95-6;Tucker 2015, 157-8;Quercia and Cazzulo 2016. The burial with restraints from Salona in Croatia (Dyggve 1928, 149-50) was also buried deeper than adjacent burials, perhaps indicating a concern about the possibility of the dead rising.…”