The "Visible" Dead: Mortuary Patterns and Ceremonial Activities in the Dawn of the Bronze Age in Southern Greece

Summary

Following anthropological theory regarding the dynamic relationship between the living and the dead, this paper will explore the role of mortuary and ceremonial places as important venues for human activities related to broader social phenomena and cultural changes. By the mid. 3d mil. BCE southern Greece had witnessed the emergence of social stratification evident both in the settlement and mortuary archaeological record. Little is known, however, regarding the preceding period and the processes that led to this inequality. Based on case studies from the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age (mid. 5th - end of 4th mil. BCE) in southern Greece, this paper provides a preliminary study of mortuary analysis and radiocarbon dating of human burials. The end of the Neolithic period is characterized by a proliferation of burial remains, a variety of ceremonial activities, and the creation of the first extramural, organized cemeteries. Further investigation on this mortuary data set could provide valuable insight on the emerging complexity evident in the later period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15706