Understanding past funerary practices: a multi-disciplinary perspective

Karina T. Croucher; Christina Faull; Laura Iraine Green; Lindsey Sarah Buster; Jennifer E. Dayes

Understanding past funerary practices: a multi-disciplinary perspective

Karina T. Croucher, Christina Faull, Laura Iraine Green, Lindsey Sarah Buster, Jennifer E. Dayes

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

Funerary practices of the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Near East) are frequently
framed in terms of social status and emerging hierarchies. This paper draws on
interdisciplinary research into death, dying and bereavement, through the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds: exploring the meaning and legacy of death through past and contemporary practice’ project, a collaboration between archaeologists and End of Life Care professionals (University of Bradford / LOROS Hospice, Leicester). The project has inspired debates around whether archaeological evidence is missing a vital component in our interpretations, through neglecting concepts of emotion, grief and bereavement in analysing funerary practices. While reactions to grief are culturally constructed and situational, we ask whether exploring the concept in relation to Çatalhöyük and other sites in the region can offer new avenues of understanding funerary remains and inform a debate which moves beyond considerations of status and hierarchy to consider emotion, identity, death and loss in the past.

Original language	English
Publication status	Unpublished - 2019
Event	European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting 2019 - Bern, Switzerland Duration: 4 Sept 2019 → 8 Sept 2019

Conference

Conference	European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting 2019
Country/Territory	Switzerland
City	Bern
Period	4/09/19 → 8/09/19

Cite this

@conference{05bc68d8bd8845098376f45e631729a3,

title = "Understanding past funerary practices: a multi-disciplinary perspective",

abstract = "Funerary practices of the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Near East) are frequentlyframed in terms of social status and emerging hierarchies. This paper draws oninterdisciplinary research into death, dying and bereavement, through the AHRC-funded {\textquoteleft}Continuing Bonds: exploring the meaning and legacy of death through past and contemporary practice{\textquoteright} project, a collaboration between archaeologists and End of Life Care professionals (University of Bradford / LOROS Hospice, Leicester). The project has inspired debates around whether archaeological evidence is missing a vital component in our interpretations, through neglecting concepts of emotion, grief and bereavement in analysing funerary practices. While reactions to grief are culturally constructed and situational, we ask whether exploring the concept in relation to {\c C}atalh{\"o}y{\"u}k and other sites in the region can offer new avenues of understanding funerary remains and inform a debate which moves beyond considerations of status and hierarchy to consider emotion, identity, death and loss in the past.",

author = "Croucher, {Karina T.} and Christina Faull and Green, {Laura Iraine} and Buster, {Lindsey Sarah} and Dayes, {Jennifer E.}",

year = "2019",

language = "English",

note = "European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting 2019 ; Conference date: 04-09-2019 Through 08-09-2019",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - Understanding past funerary practices

T2 - European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting 2019

AU - Croucher, Karina T.

AU - Faull, Christina

AU - Green, Laura Iraine

AU - Buster, Lindsey Sarah

AU - Dayes, Jennifer E.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Funerary practices of the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Near East) are frequentlyframed in terms of social status and emerging hierarchies. This paper draws oninterdisciplinary research into death, dying and bereavement, through the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds: exploring the meaning and legacy of death through past and contemporary practice’ project, a collaboration between archaeologists and End of Life Care professionals (University of Bradford / LOROS Hospice, Leicester). The project has inspired debates around whether archaeological evidence is missing a vital component in our interpretations, through neglecting concepts of emotion, grief and bereavement in analysing funerary practices. While reactions to grief are culturally constructed and situational, we ask whether exploring the concept in relation to Çatalhöyük and other sites in the region can offer new avenues of understanding funerary remains and inform a debate which moves beyond considerations of status and hierarchy to consider emotion, identity, death and loss in the past.

AB - Funerary practices of the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Near East) are frequentlyframed in terms of social status and emerging hierarchies. This paper draws oninterdisciplinary research into death, dying and bereavement, through the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds: exploring the meaning and legacy of death through past and contemporary practice’ project, a collaboration between archaeologists and End of Life Care professionals (University of Bradford / LOROS Hospice, Leicester). The project has inspired debates around whether archaeological evidence is missing a vital component in our interpretations, through neglecting concepts of emotion, grief and bereavement in analysing funerary practices. While reactions to grief are culturally constructed and situational, we ask whether exploring the concept in relation to Çatalhöyük and other sites in the region can offer new avenues of understanding funerary remains and inform a debate which moves beyond considerations of status and hierarchy to consider emotion, identity, death and loss in the past.

M3 - Paper

Y2 - 4 September 2019 through 8 September 2019

ER -