Funerary Practices, Funerary Contexts, and Death in Archaeology
Title
Funerary Practices, Funerary Contexts, and Death in Archaeology
Author
Lorentz, Kirsi O.
Research Area
Culture
Topic
Culture and Society
Abstract
Archaeologists have excavated mortuary contexts and the remains of the dead since the beginning of activity within their discipline. The study of these remains has taken place under different rubrics, including burial archaeology, mortuary archaeology, archaeology of the dead, funerary archaeology, osteoarchaeology, human bioarchaeology, and archaeology of death. The study of mortuary contexts and accompanying artifacts has largely taken place in separation from the study of the human remains. Does the study of the remains of the dead, and the contexts within which these are found, constitute an archaeology of death, or an archaeology of funerary remains, as tacitly implied by the titles of numerous publications focusing on such remains? Recently it has been claimed that we have never had an archaeology of death (Robb). Indeed a search for published archaeological research focusing on the concept of death, and the variation of conceptualizations of death in past societies, currently produces scant results. Archaeological publications with titles that refer to funerary remains tend to focus on selected aspect(s) of funerary practice, mostly those related to the disposal of the dead, whether through burial or other means. If we take the term funerary to mean that which pertains to funeral rites or burial, it is clear that a wider range of evidence needs to be considered for a comprehensive funerary archaeology to emerge. This essay focuses on the current status and future potential of archaeological research on funerary practices, contexts, and death. Calls for bringing the human body, the corpse, and the skeleton into the center stage in studies of mortuary archaeology have already been made by many, and attempted by a few. Key issues for future archaeological research on death and funerary practice include ensuring a true research emphasis on past conceptualizations of death, considering a wider range of evidence pertaining to death and funerary practice (not just burial or other body disposal contexts), and as necessitated by the latter, finding a way to successfully integrate research traditionally conducted within widely different disciplinary realms.