Funerary Archaeology Analysis

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Funerary archaeology encapsulates the analysis of human remains within archaeological context in order to understand the life and death of individuals in various societies. This involves the study of collective and individual burials, with further research focused on practices involving the dead, found within difference societies and groups. Funerary archaeology can provide us with information on disparities in social status, evident through the nature of grave-goods and, the amount of estimated time to took to build graves along with differences between males and females in life and death. Furthermore, analysis can provide an understanding of whether a society was hierarchal or lateral, centralised or decentralised . However, there are aspects …show more content…
There are indications that patrilocality was at play within the society, evident through group burial grounds where the presence of group ancestors were the basis of symbolic claim to the right of eminent domain. Furthermore, the importance of ancestors can be measured within a society through the degree of permanence of interments, as opposed to platform burials and shifting garden burials, which eventually leave no trace of their existence. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that within burials, status difference between individuals are a reflection on sex and age at death, along with the personal achievements of the deceased, as per shown through the existence and quality of grave-goods. Utilisation of random sampling techniques could, in isolation, result in misleading information and essentially the ‘Teotihuacan effect’. Resulting in the strong possibility that the centre of a society may be missed and hence, ruin further effective social analysis. The Urban site of Teotihuacan in the valley of Mexico reached its height in the first Millenium A.D., burials on the site present us with knowledge on the varying nature of burial within this society along with the ability to draw specific comparisons between the numerous individual and collective burials found thus far. The society appears to have been of hierarchical nature, revealed through …show more content…
Additionally, differences accorded to males and females in death may become apparent through analysis of the aforementioned characteristics of social status. Analysis of skeletal remains more often than not, reveals the sex and age of an individual at death and may possibly provide information on any dietary deficiencies or pathological conditions suffered in life. Bisels study of health among individuals at Herculaneum has revealed various insights into the nature of health prior to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It should be noted that while age at death statistics are meaningless as the eruption caused the population to die earlier than they ordinarily would have, age may still be determined through the use of epiphyseal closures, the study of tooth eruption, as well as changes bone structure and density. Additionally, stature data revealing the general health and nutrition of the population helps to explain the values of the society in terms of diet which reveal organisational aspects of the society in terms of rich and poor. Poor nutrition and/or evidence of disease may be indicated through bad dental health and stature data. Stature data along with studies of the pelvic brim index reveals that individuals with poor nutrition do not reach their growth
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