Spatial analysis and sampling techniques of cremated remains from Bronze Age cremation urns in southeast Hungary

Summary

Since 2011, members of the Bronze Age Körös Off-Tell Archaeology (BAKOTA) Project have excavated 57 cremation urns from the Békés 103 site in Southeast Hungary. This exploratory study seeks to examine the percentages of cranial and postcranial elements present in microstratigraphic levels in order to better understand the spatial distribution of bones within the burial urns. As a way to explore new approaches, two sampling methods were employed for the analysis of three burials. The first involved a random 20% sample of each microstratigraphic level, and the second involved the entire contents of each level. Across each level, fragments were classified as cranial, postcranial, or indeterminate, and total weights of the cranial and postcranial elements were recorded. These two methods were applied to test if the 20% sample adequately represented an entire cremation urn. Preliminary results suggest that the smaller sample has a similar distribution of cranial and postcranial elements within the urn. This is promising, as it allows for data to be collected more efficiently across numerous cremations. By deciphering the spatial distribution of the cremated remains, this study aims to better understand the mortuary practices utilized at the Békés 103 site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Learning about the Past with Fragments from the Fire: Student Research on an NSF-REU Field School

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16442