Anomalous Mortuary Behaviour and Social Exclusion in Iron Age Italy:

Abstract

This article explores the relation between abnormal mortuary behaviour a n d social exclusion in first m il lennium BC northeast Italy by analysing a sample o f some 2 0 0 0 cremation a n d inhumation graves from the Veneto region. By drawing fro m research on funerary deviancy a n d anthropological, archaeological a n d bioarchaeological approaches to social inequality, the analysis offers an investigation ofVenetic socio-political practices o f inclusion in vs exclusion fro m society, sometimes resulting in niches o f extreme social marginality. First, I discuss how cremation represented the normative burial rite in Iron Age Veneto as well as a ritual m eant to underline the social meaningfulness o f dead individuals granted high degrees o f social recognition.Second, Ifocus on the rarer inhum ation ritual a n d its possible role in substantiating the incomplete social in tegration o f the deceased. Third, I detail how selectedpractices carried out on non-cremated hum an remains, such as disarticulation, mutilation a n d burial outside the fo rm a l cemetery, may have been deviant funerary rituals potentially intended to exclude the deceasedfrom society. Finally, this study discusses how the complex ity ofVenetic funerary practices sometimes resulted in the adoption o f rituals not easily definable in terms o f ' deviancy' a n d ' normalcy, which were variously adopted a t different sites a n d in different chronological phases to express multifaceted concerns about the role o f the dead w ithin their community a n d the variable degrees o f social inclusion granted to different individuals.

“Heal the sick”: Health status and caregiving during the 17th–18th century in Northern Italy (St. Biagio cemetery, Ravenna)

“…In addition to functional and mental impairments, visible abnormalities should be considered in this context, as Angelman syndrome is also characterized by atypical facial features. It is known that many societies reserved nonconventional burial treatments for those who were considered outcasts or socially excluded (Perego, 2014; Saracino et al, 2017). His burial, however, reflects a particular treatment aimed specifically at this man.…”

New Evidence of Prehistoric Neurosurgery in Italy: The Case of Castello Del Tartaro

“…Specifically, the phenomenon of prone burials is widely documented, attesting more than 600 cases from Prehistory to the Contemporary era 47,48 , and usually occurs in European necropolis with victims of violence or execution or individuals presenting disabilities, diseases or abnormalities [49][50][51] . Its occurrence is generally associated with an intention of careless and contempt towards the interred body 47,49 .…”

“…Usually, a clear difference between an intentional and a careless or casual prone burial is detectable, indicating a possible funerary practice in the first case, and haste or inaccuracy in the latter 49 . An intentional prone deposition can be identified by several distinctive elements, which are usually considered as signs of differentiation or marginality of the individual compared to his or her community 46,50,51,57 : the use of an anomalous tomb structure; the liminality of a prone burial, which is usually located far from the rest of the necropolis; the presence or absence and position of burial goods compared to other burials in the area; the presence of traumatic or pathological evidences. Conversely, prone burials from hasty interment usually present features such as shallow pits, limbs forming unnatural angles and absence of burial goods 50 .…”