Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Anthropology
First Advisor
Matthew L. Murray
Second Advisor
Jay K. Johnson
Third Advisor
Kate Centellas
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
This thesis examines the ways in which mortuary ritual functioned as a rite of passage at three sites in prehistoric Europe: Wor Barrow on Cranborne Chase, Tumulus 17 in the Speckhau Mound Group at the Heuneburg, and the Hochdorf tomb in southwestern Germany. The sites were selected with diversity among the dimensions of mortuary practice, including the presence and types of grave goods, the structure of the grave, and the treatment of the corpse, as a priority. By examining the ways in which cemeteries functioned as spaces of personal and group separation and transformation, I seek to clarify the role that death played in these societies as a precursor to transformation both of the deceased individual and of the living who remain. I have developed a set of archaeological correlates of each of the phases of the rite of passage of death, and this paper both elucidates and evaluates the set of correlates. Examining mortuary contexts with the understanding that mortuary ritual is a rite of passage both for the deceased and for the living rather than ceremonies to mark the cessation of life leads to a more thorough understanding of the data.
Recommended Citation
Kyle, Jacquelyn Mary Roberts, "The Archaeology of Mortuary Ritual as Rite of Passage in Prehistoric Europe" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 176.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/176