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Revisiting the Dead: Tomb Reuse and Post-Burial Practices at Ascoli Satriano (Pre-Roman Apulia, Seventh–Fourth Century bc)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2018

Matthias Hoernes Open the ORCID record for Matthias Hoernes [Opens in a new window] ,
Christian Heitz Open the ORCID record for Christian Heitz [Opens in a new window]  and
Manuele Laimer
Matthias Hoernes
Affiliation:
Leopold-Franzens-Universität InnsbruckForschungsschwerpunkt ‘Kulturelle Begegnungen – Kulturelle Konflikte’ Innrain 52d A-6020 InnsbruckAustria Email: [email protected]
Christian Heitz
Affiliation:
Leopold-Franzens-Universität InnsbruckInstitut für Archäologien Langer Weg 11 A-6020 InnsbruckAustria Email: [email protected]
Manuele Laimer
Affiliation:
Leopold-Franzens-Universität InnsbruckInstitut für Archäologien Langer Weg 11 A-6020 InnsbruckAustria Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In the archaeology of death and burial, the premise that the dead were buried ritually and not simply disposed of seems to be accepted without argument. Where graves were reopened and reused for subsequent burials, however, the post-funeral manipulation of ‘older’ depositions is often regarded as having been primarily pragmatic and circumstantial. Countering this interpretative imbalance, we argue that the reuse of tombs was a highly complex procedure that forced communities into negotiating and formalizing, or even ritualizing, the way in which bodies and objects were acted on and engaged with. Taking the necropolis Giarnera Piccola/Ascoli Satriano in pre-Roman northern Apulia as a case study, and employing a microarchaeological-archaeothanatological perspective, we discuss the diverse and sometimes conflicting practices used to deal with pre-existing graves, objects and human remains, identifying tensions between maintaining or reconstructing the integrity of the body and intentionally manipulating and fragmenting it. We argue that repeatedly reused tombs constituted a socially and symbolically charged arena for a prolonged, active relationship with the deceased and for mobilizing, mediating and maintaining inter-generational memories.

Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , May 2019 , pp. 261 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research 2018 

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