Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain

M P  Pearson; A  Chamberlain; O  Craig; P  Marshall; J  Mulville; H  Smith; C  Chenery; M  Collins; G  Cook; G  Craig; J  Evans; J  Hiller; J  Montgomery; J L  Schwenninger; G  Taylor; T  Wess

Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain

M P Pearson, A Chamberlain, O Craig, P Marshall, J Mulville, H Smith, C Chenery, M Collins, G Cook, G Craig, J Evans, J Hiller, J Montgomery, J L Schwenninger, G Taylor, T Wess

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Ancient Egyptians are thought to have been the only people in the Old World who were practising mummification in the Bronze Age (c. 2200-700 BC). But now a remarkable series of finds from a remote Scottish island indicates that Ancient Britons were performing similar, if less elaborate, practices of bodily preservation. Evidence of mummification is usually limited to a narrow range of and or frozen environments which are conducive to soft tissue preservation. Mike Parker Pearson and his team show that a combination of microstructural, contextual and AMS(14)C analysis of bone allows the identification of mummification in more temperate and wetter climates where soft tissues and fabrics do not normally survive. Skeletons from Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland were buried several hundred years after death, and the skeletons provide evidence of post mortem manipulation of body parts. Perhaps these practices were widespread in mainland Britain during the Bronze Age.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	529-546
Number of pages	18
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	79
Issue number	305
Publication status	Published - Sept 2005

Keywords

Bronze Age
Britain
burial practice
mummification
CHRONOLOGICALLY ORDERED SAMPLES
BAYESIAN STATISTICS
ISOTOPE EVIDENCE
C-14 DATES
IRON-AGE
GROUNDWATER
CALIBRATION

Cite this

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title = "Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain",

abstract = "Ancient Egyptians are thought to have been the only people in the Old World who were practising mummification in the Bronze Age (c. 2200-700 BC). But now a remarkable series of finds from a remote Scottish island indicates that Ancient Britons were performing similar, if less elaborate, practices of bodily preservation. Evidence of mummification is usually limited to a narrow range of and or frozen environments which are conducive to soft tissue preservation. Mike Parker Pearson and his team show that a combination of microstructural, contextual and AMS(14)C analysis of bone allows the identification of mummification in more temperate and wetter climates where soft tissues and fabrics do not normally survive. Skeletons from Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland were buried several hundred years after death, and the skeletons provide evidence of post mortem manipulation of body parts. Perhaps these practices were widespread in mainland Britain during the Bronze Age.",

keywords = "Bronze Age, Britain, burial practice, mummification, CHRONOLOGICALLY ORDERED SAMPLES, BAYESIAN STATISTICS, ISOTOPE EVIDENCE, C-14 DATES, IRON-AGE, GROUNDWATER, CALIBRATION",

author = "Pearson, {M P} and A Chamberlain and O Craig and P Marshall and J Mulville and H Smith and C Chenery and M Collins and G Cook and G Craig and J Evans and J Hiller and J Montgomery and Schwenninger, {J L} and G Taylor and T Wess",

year = "2005",

month = sep,

language = "English",

volume = "79",

pages = "529--546",

journal = "Antiquity",

issn = "0003-598X",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain

AU - Pearson, M P

AU - Chamberlain, A

AU - Craig, O

AU - Marshall, P

AU - Mulville, J

AU - Smith, H

AU - Chenery, C

AU - Collins, M

AU - Cook, G

AU - Craig, G

AU - Evans, J

AU - Hiller, J

AU - Montgomery, J

AU - Schwenninger, J L

AU - Taylor, G

AU - Wess, T

PY - 2005/9

Y1 - 2005/9

N2 - Ancient Egyptians are thought to have been the only people in the Old World who were practising mummification in the Bronze Age (c. 2200-700 BC). But now a remarkable series of finds from a remote Scottish island indicates that Ancient Britons were performing similar, if less elaborate, practices of bodily preservation. Evidence of mummification is usually limited to a narrow range of and or frozen environments which are conducive to soft tissue preservation. Mike Parker Pearson and his team show that a combination of microstructural, contextual and AMS(14)C analysis of bone allows the identification of mummification in more temperate and wetter climates where soft tissues and fabrics do not normally survive. Skeletons from Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland were buried several hundred years after death, and the skeletons provide evidence of post mortem manipulation of body parts. Perhaps these practices were widespread in mainland Britain during the Bronze Age.

AB - Ancient Egyptians are thought to have been the only people in the Old World who were practising mummification in the Bronze Age (c. 2200-700 BC). But now a remarkable series of finds from a remote Scottish island indicates that Ancient Britons were performing similar, if less elaborate, practices of bodily preservation. Evidence of mummification is usually limited to a narrow range of and or frozen environments which are conducive to soft tissue preservation. Mike Parker Pearson and his team show that a combination of microstructural, contextual and AMS(14)C analysis of bone allows the identification of mummification in more temperate and wetter climates where soft tissues and fabrics do not normally survive. Skeletons from Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland were buried several hundred years after death, and the skeletons provide evidence of post mortem manipulation of body parts. Perhaps these practices were widespread in mainland Britain during the Bronze Age.

KW - Bronze Age

KW - Britain

KW - burial practice

KW - mummification

KW - CHRONOLOGICALLY ORDERED SAMPLES

KW - BAYESIAN STATISTICS

KW - ISOTOPE EVIDENCE

KW - C-14 DATES

KW - IRON-AGE

KW - GROUNDWATER

KW - CALIBRATION

M3 - Article

SN - 0003-598X

VL - 79

SP - 529

EP - 546

JO - Antiquity

JF - Antiquity

IS - 305

ER -