Funerary Practice and Local Interaction on the Imperial frontier, 1st century AD: a case study in the Serur Valley, Azerbaijan.

Summary

Military campaigns and conflict defined the years leading to the 1st century AD in the South Caucasus. This mountainous frontier region acted as a buffer zone between the Roman and Parthian Empires competing for territorial expansion. Local alliances were cyclically forged, broken, and mended for territorial control. Yet, little archaeological evidence remains of these interactions. How are military campaigns being conducted in the eastern frontier? How are foreign forces interacting with local communities? If foreign military presence and conflict had a long-term presence in this region, it is essential to examine how local populations and armies interacted.

This project examines the case study of an unusual 1st century AD interment that integrates aspects of both Roman and Parthian burial practice and is associated with large-scale feasting events excavated in Naxcivan, Azerbaijan by the Naxcivan Archaeological Project. This project incorporates osteological and isotopic analysis of human remains and a regional approach to funerary practice to examine individual identity, status, and the varied influences in mortuary space construction. By delving into the distinct biography of this interment and its regional mortuary context, this project sheds light on the various aspects of how foreign campaigns influenced and integrated with local identities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• The Bioarchaeology of Frontier and Borderlands

Keywords

Spatial Coverage