Bodies, bones, objects and stones : investigating infancy, infant death, deposition and human identity in Iron Age Southern England
This thesis significantly contributes towards a fuller and more complex appreciation of the formation of human identity in Iron Age Southern England. It constitutes the first doctoral study of infancy, infant death and infant deposition for this region and period, and is the first piece of research to specifically consider infancy as an informer upon the formation of identity at this time. This thesis is structured around four main themes: (1) Was there a concept of infancy in Iron Age southern England? (2) How does infancy inform upon the construction of identity at this time? (3) If present, how did the concept of infancy fit into any perceived understanding of a wider Iron Age life course? (4) Were infants treated in similar ways to older individuals in death? These themes led to the formation of a set of hypothesised research questions. The investigative results offer an important and fresh insight into the nature and construction of identity at this time. Results suggest that infant (and older) bodies and bones were conceptualised and treated in multiple, and often co-existing, ways; many of which appear to have had nothing to do with the formal burial of the âpersonâ per se. Rather, while some bodies
Lally, Michael
CC Archaeology
Bodies, bones, objects and stones : investigating infancy, infant death, deposition and human identity in Iron Age Southern England. This thesis significantly contributes towards a fuller and more complex appreciation of the formation of human identity in Iron Age Southern England. It constitutes the first doctoral study of infancy, infant death and infant deposition for this region and period, and is the first piece of research to specifically consider infancy as an informer upon the formation of identity at this time. This thesis is structured around four main themes: (1) Was there a concept of infancy in Iron Age southern England? (2) How does infancy inform upon the construction of identity at this time? (3) If present, how did the concept of infancy fit into any perceived understanding of a wider Iron Age life course? (4) Were infants treated in similar ways to older individuals in death? These themes led to the formation of a set of hypothesised research questions. The investigative results offer an important and fresh insight into the nature and construction of identity at this time. Results suggest that infant (and older) bodies and bones were conceptualised and treated in multiple, and often co-existing, ways; many of which appear to have had nothing to do with the formal burial of the âpersonâ per se. Rather, while some bodies
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