Dealing with the dead : manipulation of the body in the mortuary practices of Mesolithic north-west Europe
This thesis focuses on practices of disarticulation and bodily manipulation in the Mesolithic of north-west Europe. While the presence of 'loose human bone' has been noted on Mesolithic sites for several decades, this has often been dismissed as the result of taphonomic factors, such as disturbed graves. Instead, studies of mortuary practices have primarily focused on the cemeteries and issues of social complexity, ranking and status. Disarticulated human bone, which cannot throw new light on such issues, has consequently been ignored. Only with more recent discoveries of larger collections of disarticulated human remains, from secure contexts, has this phenomena begun to be taken more seriously, Cauwe (2001) arguing for example, that disarticulation represents the primary Mesolithic mortuary practice. Despite this claim, little work has focused on practices of manipulation and disarticulation beyond a few studies of individual sites, thus little is understood about the nature and variability of these mortuary practices. The aim of this thesis is therefore to provide a broad study of disarticulated Mesolithic remains across north-west Europe (though excluding Scandinavia). In order to tackle the methodological
Gray Jones, Amy
Mesolithic  ; disarticulation ; 'loose bone' ; north-west Europe
Dealing with the dead : manipulation of the body in the mortuary practices of Mesolithic north-west Europe. This thesis focuses on practices of disarticulation and bodily manipulation in the Mesolithic of north-west Europe. While the presence of 'loose human bone' has been noted on Mesolithic sites for several decades, this has often been dismissed as the result of taphonomic factors, such as disturbed graves. Instead, studies of mortuary practices have primarily focused on the cemeteries and issues of social complexity, ranking and status. Disarticulated human bone, which cannot throw new light on such issues, has consequently been ignored. Only with more recent discoveries of larger collections of disarticulated human remains, from secure contexts, has this phenomena begun to be taken more seriously, Cauwe (2001) arguing for example, that disarticulation represents the primary Mesolithic mortuary practice. Despite this claim, little work has focused on practices of manipulation and disarticulation beyond a few studies of individual sites, thus little is understood about the nature and variability of these mortuary practices. The aim of this thesis is therefore to provide a broad study of disarticulated Mesolithic remains across north-west Europe (though excluding Scandinavia). In order to tackle the methodological
dealing dead manipulation body mortuary_practice mesolithic north_west europe focus practice bodily manipulation mesolithic north_west europe presence loose human_bone mesolithic site often dismissed taphonomic factor graf instead study mortuary_practice primarily_focus cemetery issue social_complexity rank status human_bone throw_new light issue consequently ignore recent_discovery large_collection disarticulate human remains secure context phenomena begin take_seriously argue example represent primary mesolithic mortuary_practice despite claim little_work focus practice manipulation beyond study individual_site thus little_understood nature variability mortuary_practice aim_therefore provide_broad study disarticulate mesolithic remain across north_west europe though exclude scandinavia order tackle methodological