Dia Shoma (Mali), a medieval cemetery in the inner Niger delta

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to compare burial typology from Dia Shoma medieval cemetery (Mali) with previously documented funerary practices of the inner Niger delta in order to expand our knowledge of the mortuary rituals once practised in this region. Considering archaeological resources from an anthropological viewpoint provides us with new information about human migration, settlement, cultural affiliation and way of life. From this point of view, especially for the period between 800 and 1000 AD, Dia Shoma offers much insight into the history of this cultural melting pot. Dia Shoma is of particular interest in regards to migration in the Western Sahara region. The burials of Dia Shoma have been characterized by morphometrical features as well as associated funeral practices. The different types of burials that coexist at Dia Shoma indicate a region of cultural diversity. Along with the existence of different kinds of tombs, an increase in various archaeological remains lends evidence towards a community co-occupied by herders, fishermen and farmers. The change in the association of funerary practices around 1000 AD could be interpreted as an indirect disturbance to the former socioeconomic trade and cultural exchange, possibly triggered by the fall of the Empire of Ghana under the influence of the Almoravides.

Field anthropology: application to burial contexts in prehistoric Southeast Asia

“…Translations of their publications, or primary publications in English, have historically been scarce, however they are increasingly appearing (Murail et al, 2004;Nilsson Stutz, 2003a, 2003bPautreau et al, 2004;Peressinotto et al, 2004;Roksandic et al, 2006;Valentin et al, 2000;Zeitoun et al, 2004). Roksandic (2002) published an English-language review of the method and in 2006 Henri Duday published two book chapters in English, one of which is a translation by Christopher Knü sel and largely reiterates the key information in his 1990 article (Duday, 2006) and the second (Duday and Guillon, 2006) expands more on the techniques for field recording.…”

An archaeothanatological approach to the study of Minoan funerary practices: Case-studies from the Early and Middle Minoan cemetery at Sissi, Crete

“…Although this method has revolutionized the approach to mortuary contexts in French archaeology, until 2000 its influence beyond the French speaking world was limited by a lack of publications in English (Knudson and Stojanowski 2008). Since then, however, it has been described in several English papers (Murail et al 2004;Peressinotto et al 2004;Zeytoun et al 2004) and adopted more widely (e.g., Rockandic 2002;Nilsson Stutz 2003;Willis and Tayles 2009; Knü sel 2014). Relatively few English-language publications have described the approach in detail, however (Duday and Guillon 2006;Duday 2009).…”