A multidisciplinary study of a burnt and mutilated assemblage of human remains from a deserted Mediaeval village in England

Mays, Simon; Fryer, Robyn; Pike, Alistair; Cooper, Matthew J.; Marshall, P.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.02.023

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…In North America (AD 700-1300), it has been suggested that assemblages containing partial, dismembered remains with evidence of cut marks and heat damage may be the result of witch killings (Hurlbut, 2000;Martin, 2016;Novak & Kollman, 2000). In the United Kingdom (AD 1200-1400), similar modifications have been interpreted as efforts to prevent the rise of revenant corpses (Mays et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Larger, heavier blades may also produce additional blunt force damage in the form of crushing or conchoidal flaking at the edges of the incision (Lewis, 2008). In cases where the blade passes through the full width of the bone, the cut surface will appear smooth and clean with well-defined edges (Mays et al, 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Throughout human history, cultures around the globe have carried out a variety of complex mortuary practices that involve the manipulation and display of human remains, whether to venerate the dead, protect the living or fulfil religious or ritual purposes (Conneller, 2006; King, 2003; Mays, Fryer, Pike, Cooper, & Marshall, 2017; Pérez, 2012; Ramble, 1982; Weiss‐Krejci, 2013). These practices can leave marks on the bones that appear to be remarkably similar to those caused by violence or capital punishment, and, as such, deciphering the intent behind modified bone assemblages can be challenging, particularly when cultural or ethnographic information is lacking (Pérez, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Deposition of modified human remains as evidence for complex mortuary treatment in East Africa during the first millenniumAD

Watts

Mugabowagahunde²,

Ntagwabira³

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In 2019 partial, disarticulated human remains with evidence of perimortem fractures and tool marks were excavated from the site of Kabusanza in southern Rwanda (first millennium AD). The nature and location of these modifications demonstrate that some elements were subject to intentional dismemberment and defleshing, whereas the arrangement of the remains in the burial feature indicates that natural skeletonization had also occurred before final deposition. Human remains with similar patterns of modification and deposition have previously been recovered from the same site, and here we consider the potential behaviours that may have produced this suite of evidence. By comparing the remains with assemblages that have been produced through violence and through ritual activity, we demonstrate that the evidence from Kabusanza is more consistent with complex, multistage mortuary practices than other forms of processing. This may have involved some initial reduction of the body, followed by the retention or circulation of the disarticulated remains before their eventual deposition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Deposition of modified human remains as evidence for complex mortuary treatment in East Africa during the first millenniumAD

Watts

Mugabowagahunde²,

Ntagwabira³

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…Øksnes differs, as Gjessing [ 11 ] observed, in its liminal location of a single grave mound in a bog, although he drew parallels with other boat graves. Klevnäs [ 109 ] does refer to the possibility of the exhumation and disposal of presumed revenants and a recent study of the human bones from a pit at Wharram Percy in East Yorkshire [ 113 ] provides a more graphic medieval example. Mutilated burials, where the head had been placed between the legs in Roman and Anglo-Saxon contexts, had earlier been considered by Harman et al [ 114 ], who also raise the possibility of the walking dead, although they are more inclined to sacrificial explanations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there anybody in there? Entomological evidence from a boat burial at Øksnes in Vesterålen, northern Norway

Panagiotakopulu

Buckland²,

Wickler³

2018

PLoS ONE

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Although there are several well preserved Viking boat burials from Norway, until recently palaeoecological research on their context has often been limited. Research on fossil insect remains in particular can provide valuable forensic information even in the absence of an actual body. Here we present archaeoentomological information from a boat burial at Øksnes in Vesterålen, northeast Norway, an area where Norse and Sami traditions overlap. Excavated in 1934, organic preservation from the burial was limited to parts of the boat and a clump of bird feathers which were preserved in the Tromsø University Museum, and from which fossil insects were recovered. The insect assemblage from Øksnes includes the blowfly, Protophormia terraenovae (Rob.-Des.), which indicates exposure of the body and the probable timing of the burial. The high numbers of the human flea, Pulex irritans L. from among the feathers, suggests that these, probably from a pillow under the corpse, originated from within a domestic context. Deposition of flowers as part of the burial is discussed on the basis of the insect fauna. The absence of a body and any associated post burial decay fauna implies its exhumation and disposal elsewhere and this is discussed in the context of other exhumed medieval burials and Saga and other sources.

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“…Bones that have been subjected to heating are commonly found in archaeological sites, mainly as a result of ancient burial practices. An innovative approach for the study of this type of human skeletal remains is based on neutron techniques, and it has provided archaeologists and bioanthropologists with useful information regarding past civilizations (namely regarding funerary and cooking habits) as well as on the environmental setting of the samples [47,81].…”

Section: A Human Skeleton From the Roman Period Probed By Neutron Spementioning

confidence: 99%

Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection

Festa

Romanelli

Senesi

et al. 2020

Sensors

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Advances in research in Cultural Heritage see increasing application of a multidisciplinary approach and the combined use of physical and chemical characterization of artefacts that can be used to define their structure and their state of conservation, also providing valuable information in selecting the most suitable microclimatic conditions for the exhibition environment. This approach provides a platform for a synergic collaboration amongst researchers, restorers, conservators, and archaeologists. Existing state-of-the-art technologies for neutron-based methods are currently being applied to the study of objects of historical and cultural interest in several neutron-beam facilities around the world. Such techniques are non-invasive and non-destructive and are, therefore, ideal to provide structural information about artefacts, such as their composition, presence of alterations due to the environmental conditions, inclusions, structure of the bulk, manufacturing techniques, and elemental composition, which provide an overall fingerprint of the object’s characteristics, thanks to the nature of the interaction of neutrons with matter. Here, we present an overview of the main neutron methods for the characterization of materials of interest in Cultural Heritage and we provide a brief introduction to the sensors and detectors that are used in this framework. We conclude with some case studies underlining the impact of these applications in different archaeological and historical contexts.

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A multidisciplinary study of a burnt and mutilated assemblage of human remains from a deserted Mediaeval village in England

Cited by 9 publications

References 94 publications

Deposition of modified human remains as evidence for complex mortuary treatment in East Africa during the first millenniumAD

Deposition of modified human remains as evidence for complex mortuary treatment in East Africa during the first millenniumAD

Is there anybody in there? Entomological evidence from a boat burial at Øksnes in Vesterålen, northern Norway

Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection

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