Primary and Secondary Burials with Commingled Remains from Archaeological Contexts in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey

Fox, Sherry; Marklein, Kathryn E.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-7560-6_11

Cited by 9 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Recording systems included those outlined by Steckel, Larsen, Sciulli, and Walker () for osteoarthritis (OA), osteoperiostitis, cribra orbitalia (CO), porotic hyperostosis (PO) and Schmorl's nodes. For OA, all left and right joint surfaces that form each joint were scored then combined by joint complex as detailed by Fox and Marklein (). For example, the combined left and right humeral heads and glenoid fossae represented the total surfaces available to score for shoulder joint OA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Ortner and Frohlich () observed one innominate fracture among 373 individuals at Bâb edh‐Dhrâ, but we do not know how many innominates were examined or whether the fractured element belonged to an adult or subadult. Scholars have recognized this shortcoming and more inclusive and comparable paleopathological analyses are emerging (e.g., Fox & Marklein, ; Papathanasiou, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Commingled crypts: Comparative health among Byzantine monastics in the Levant

Judd

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Early Byzantine (A.D. 330-842) monastic rules stipulated that entrants relinquished familial connections, personal belongings and secular relationships to become part of the ascetic collective that continued in death, resulting in bioarchaeological marginalization, as was the case of the monastics excavated from the Chapel of Robebus at Mount Nebo, Jordan (ca. A.D. 491-640). It was hypothesized that compared to contemporary monastic groups, the Mount Nebo monastics experienced poorer health and gravitated to Mount Nebo, owing to its association with the Prophet Moses and proximity to the Dead Sea, Livias baths and Jordan River, all associated with curative benefits, especially for those suffering from leprosy. Materials and Methods: The commingled remains of 73 adult males from Mount Nebo and the articulated skeletons (n = 27) from the Sanctuary of Agios Lot at Deir 'Ain 'Abata (Jordan) were assessed for paleopathology, then compared with a contemporary commingled group from the Monastery of Saint Euthymius at Khan-el-Ahmar (Judean Desert) (n = 117).Results: No skeletal evidence of leprosy was observed among the groups. Most Mount Nebo individuals did not reach an older age, yet injuries, severe osteoarthritis, lower leg osteoperiostitis and antemortem tooth loss were common. The paleopathological profile was similar at Deir 'Ain 'Abata, but paleopathology was negligible at Khan-el-Ahmar. Conclusions:The similar paleopathological profiles of the Jordanian monastic groups suggest that the proximity to the Dead Sea may have attracted monastics to both sites, in addition to spirituality, but leprosy was not a factor based on the skeletal evidence. K E Y W O R D S bioarchaeology, healing, Jordan, leprosy, paleopathology

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commingled crypts: Comparative health among Byzantine monastics in the Levant

Judd

2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…These recent developments in Aegean and, more specifically, Minoan mortuary archaeology call for a reassessment of commingled bone deposits, which requires the adoption of an integrative methodology combining taphonomic observation, contextual analysis and theoretical framework, as recently advocated for the wider East Mediterranean (e.g. Fox & Marklein 2014;Moutafi & Voutsaki 2016). Accordingly, in this article, we propose to address the issue of the treatment of the dead in the collective tombs of Prepalatial and Protopalatial…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Too many secondary burials in Minoan Crete?

Schmitt

Déderix

2021

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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This article addresses the assumption that the mortuary record of Prepalatial and Protopalatial Crete (3000-1800 BC) is dominated by secondary burials and its corollary that the Minoans practiced double funerals. First, ethnographic and historical data are employed to examine the diverse types of funerary, post-funerary and non-funerary manipulations that produce secondary bone deposits. Then, the Sissi cemetery, located in northern Crete and used from Early Minoan IIA (2650-2450 BC) until Middle Minoan IIB (1850-1800 BC), is analyzed following the epistemological process of archaeothanatology, which makes it possible to test a whole range of potential scenarios rather than only one predetermined hypothesis. We argue that, at Sissi, secondary bone deposits are mostly the product of pragmatic gestures linked to the management of the sepulchral space. Such gestures are conducted with due respect for the community's forbears while contributing to their memorialization, but they must not be confused with double funerals and their associated set of funerary, social and economic correlates. Highlights This is the first application of archaeothanatology to the study of a Minoan cemetery. Secondary bone deposits may be the product of a broad range of funerary, postfunerary and non-funerary manipulations of the dead. Alternative hypotheses to secondary burials and double funerals must be considered. Mortuary practices related to secondary manipulations of the dead are reconstructed in the Sissi cemetery. At Sissi, secondary treatments of the dead are mostly related to the management of the sepulchral space.

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“…Moreover, mortuary practices reflect social phenomena (Barrett, ; Branigan, ; Morris, ; Robb, ), and therefore, their study can offer insights into the sociocultural dynamics of the source communities. However, multiple burials, which have constituted a standard mortuary practice throughout human history (Bocquentin & Garrard, ; Brown, ; Fox & Marklein, ; Pearson, ), often result in commingled skeletal remains where the assessment of the demographics of an assemblage is hindered. Furthermore, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the health and potential cause of death of an assemblage from commingled skeletal remains (Ubelaker, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation study of osteometric techniques for sorting commingled human skeletal remains in archaeological samples

Bertsatos

Chovalopoulou

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The biological profile of human remains is fundamental for understanding the structure of past societies and their life histories. However, the assessment of the demographics of an assemblage is hindered when dealing with commingled burials. Consequently, methods for sorting commingled skeletons are essential in a bioarchaeological context. The aim of this study was to provide insight into osteometric sorting techniques when dealing with archaeological commingled skeletal remains. For the purposes of this research, Byrd and LeGarde's pair‐matching osteometric sorting and regression models, which use measurements created for fragmented bones, were tested on 61 adult individuals exhumed from single burial plots from five different Greek archaeological sites. The results showed that the regression models exhibit much lower rates of true positive results (18.2–67.6% and 4.8–71.7% for the left and right side, respectively) than the pair‐matching model (74.1–89.5%), whereas the rates of the false positive results are almost equivalent (approximately 20–35%). Therefore, the application of the pair‐matching osteometric sorting model can provide a set of potential matches in an archaeological context. However, it is essential to utilize other techniques as well, in order to verify the results.

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Primary and Secondary Burials with Commingled Remains from Archaeological Contexts in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Commingled crypts: Comparative health among Byzantine monastics in the Levant

Commingled crypts: Comparative health among Byzantine monastics in the Levant

Too many secondary burials in Minoan Crete?

Validation study of osteometric techniques for sorting commingled human skeletal remains in archaeological samples

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