Burial and identity in the Late Neolithic and Copper Age of south-east Europe
In the Late Neolithic of south-east Europe, c. 5000 cal BC, a new form of burial practice appeared, as communities started to bury their dead in discrete extramural cemeteries. At the same time as this new formal burial practice, we see an increase in the number of grave goods placed with burials. There was a greater interest in the expression of identity through objects in the mortuary realm. This change was not simultaneous across the region of south-east Europe. It took two different trajectories, one in the Lower Danube and Black Sea coast region (the eastern region) and another in the Carpathian Basin (the western region). In the eastern region, cemeteries appear as discrete formal areas to bury the dead suddenly, c. 5000 cal BC, in stark contrast to the unknown burial practice that preceded it. In the western region, settlement burial in groups became the norm first, before fully extramural cemeteries appeared c. 4400 cal BC. This thesis analyses a number of these first cemeteries from both regions, looking at who was buried in them and what they were buried with. It is interested in what was being expressed about individual and social identity in the mortuary context. It uses correspondence analysis
Stratton, Susan
CC Archaeology
Burial and identity in the Late Neolithic and Copper Age of south-east Europe. In the Late Neolithic of south-east Europe, c. 5000 cal BC, a new form of burial practice appeared, as communities started to bury their dead in discrete extramural cemeteries. At the same time as this new formal burial practice, we see an increase in the number of grave goods placed with burials. There was a greater interest in the expression of identity through objects in the mortuary realm. This change was not simultaneous across the region of south-east Europe. It took two different trajectories, one in the Lower Danube and Black Sea coast region (the eastern region) and another in the Carpathian Basin (the western region). In the eastern region, cemeteries appear as discrete formal areas to bury the dead suddenly, c. 5000 cal BC, in stark contrast to the unknown burial practice that preceded it. In the western region, settlement burial in groups became the norm first, before fully extramural cemeteries appeared c. 4400 cal BC. This thesis analyses a number of these first cemeteries from both regions, looking at who was buried in them and what they were buried with. It is interested in what was being expressed about individual and social identity in the mortuary context. It uses correspondence analysis
burial identity late_neolithic copper_age south_east europe late_neolithic south_east europe cal new_form burial_practice appear community start bury dead discrete cemetery time new formal_burial practice see_increase number grave_good place burial great interest expression_identity object mortuary realm change simultaneous across_region south_east europe take two_different trajectory lower black_sea coast region eastern region another basin western region eastern region cemetery appear discrete formal area bury dead suddenly cal stark contrast unknown burial_practice precede western region settlement burial group become_norm first fully cemetery appear cal analyse number first cemetery region look bury bury with interested express individual social_identity mortuary_context correspondence_analysis