Death Undone: The Contextual Importance of Human Skeletal Remains in an Analysis of Diachronic Mortuary Practices at Mesambria Necropolis, Bulgaria (ca. 400 BC–AD 1400)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study addresses the contextual importance of human skeletal remains in identifying diachronic changes and constants in mortuary practices from the Mesambria necropolis, on the banks of the Black Sea in modern Nessebar, Bulgaria. Skeletal remains are the central element of mortuary practices but are often excluded from archaeological interpretation, just as burial context is often disregarded during osteological analysis. By considering both archaeological and osteological assessments, a more comprehensive image of diachronic mortuary practices and corresponding cultural shifts is created. A sample of 538 graves was assessed based on the physical characteristics of interments via photographic, archaeological, osteological, and historical evidence. Notable variation was observed in grave type, degree of preservation of skeletal remains, orientation and positioning of the skeletal elements, and artifact deposits. Utilizing multicomponent interpretation methodology increases the contextual information available for mortuary practices in the Black Sea region through a vast temporal range.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39957.0