The relativity of normality: An acrchaeological and anthropological study of deviant burials and different treatments at death
The concept of deviant burials is frequently used in archaeology, but there is a variety of different understandings of the concept. This thesis started off with exploring the meaning of deviant burial in archaeological research and then moved on to applying this concept to anthropological evidence. The result was that the dichotomous nature of the archaeological concept of deviant burials conflicts with much information in ethnographies: many societies practice a range of different mortuary practices, many of which can not be classified as normal or deviant. A new research approach was created, which distinguished between deviant burials as ânegativeâ burials and differentiated treatment at death, which was applied for example to different age, sex or status groups within the same society. This approach was based on practice theory. The area around Winchester from the late Iron Age to the middle Anglo-Saxon period served as a case study area: deviant burial practices and differentiated treatment at death were analysed in a thorough contextual analysis of three cemetery sites (Lankhills: AD 310-410; Worthy Park: late fifth to early seventh centuries AD; Winnall II: mid seventh to beginning of the eight
Aspock, Edeltraud
The relativity of normality: An acrchaeological and anthropological study of deviant burials and different treatments at death. The concept of deviant burials is frequently used in archaeology, but there is a variety of different understandings of the concept. This thesis started off with exploring the meaning of deviant burial in archaeological research and then moved on to applying this concept to anthropological evidence. The result was that the dichotomous nature of the archaeological concept of deviant burials conflicts with much information in ethnographies: many societies practice a range of different mortuary practices, many of which can not be classified as normal or deviant. A new research approach was created, which distinguished between deviant burials as ânegativeâ burials and differentiated treatment at death, which was applied for example to different age, sex or status groups within the same society. This approach was based on practice theory. The area around Winchester from the late Iron Age to the middle Anglo-Saxon period served as a case study area: deviant burial practices and differentiated treatment at death were analysed in a thorough contextual analysis of three cemetery sites (Lankhills: AD 310-410; Worthy Park: late fifth to early seventh centuries AD; Winnall II: mid seventh to beginning of the eight
relativity normality anthropological_study deviant burial different treatment death concept deviant burial frequently_use archaeology variety_different understanding concept start explore meaning deviant burial archaeological move apply_concept anthropological evidence dichotomous nature archaeological concept deviant burial conflict much_information ethnography many society practice range_different mortuary_practice many classify normal deviant new create distinguish deviant burial negative burial differentiate treatment death applied example different age_sex status group_within society base practice theory area around winchester late_iron_age middle_anglo saxon_period serve case_study area deviant burial practice differentiate treatment death analyse thorough contextual_analysis cemetery_site worthy park beginning