The Impact of Migration on Ritual Burial Practices during the Hellenistic Period in Central Anatolia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This research examines the Hellenistic Period (ca. 300-100 BCE) human skeletal sample (n=31) and associated storage pit burial contexts at Kaman-Kalehöyük in central Anatolia. The aim is to test the hypothesis that the burial practices observed at the site are consistent with those at sites associated with Celtic language speaking peoples and may be behaviors that were brought to Anatolia by the Galatians. This will include comparisons with other storage pit burial sites from the Hellenistic period/Iron Age, such as those found in Europe and Britain, with a focus on potential ritual activities. The results show similarities between the pit burials at Kaman-Kalehöyük and other Celtic sites. Evidence for possible excarnation in two of the pits with multiple individuals may be consistent with reported Celtic ritual practices. Additionally, placement of the bodies and inclusion of animal remains in some of the pits also suggest some similarities. Evidence from European sites indicate that those buried in similar Iron Age pits may have been individuals with a unique social position, which may be the case at Kaman-Kalehöyük as well. There will be no images of human remains in this presentation

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53270