Field anthropology: application to burial contexts in prehistoric Southeast Asia

Burial containers – A hidden aspect of mortuary practices: Archaeothanatology at Ban Non Wat, Thailand

“…Such an approach necessitates a significant investment of time, one of the reasons Knudson and Stojanowski (2008) cite for its slow uptake. However, recent research published in the English literature has shown that a viable alternative is to use photographs and field drawings as the primary recording tools (Nilsson Stutz, 2003a, 2003bWillis and Tayles, 2009). Such an approach has obvious limitations, most originating from the differing objectives of the original excavators and later archaeothanatological investigators, resulting in insufficient recording from an archaeothanatological viewpoint.…”

The Đa Bút Period in Northern Vietnam: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

“…In regards to explanations behind the sitting posture frequently encountered in Đa Bút burials, the principles of archaeothanatological research could suggests that the dead were interned as bundle burials, or placed in large constricting baskets (Duday et al 2006;Willis and Tayles 2009;Harris and Tayles 2012). However, this approach to burial recording has yet to be applied to any Đa Bút assemblage.…”

“…Huffer and Oxenham in review), including the possibility of a much more refined study of variation in the Đa Bút "seated" burial pattern using state-of-the-art archaeothanatological methods (e.g. Harris and Tayles 2012;Willis and Tayles 2009). It is research such as this that will open up new windows onto daily life during this crucial time period; a time period for which the big-picture archaeological research discussed above has set the stage.…”

The Use of Ethnographic Information in Cremation Studies

“…Recently there has been increased focus on using skeletal remains to determine the method of funerary treatment used by the society of the deceased (Harris, 2010;Scott et al, 2010;Ubelaker and Rife, 2009;Williams, 2008;Willis and Tayles, 2009). Increasingly these studies have focused on cremated human remains, which were historically seen as uninformative and even useless (McKinley, 1989(McKinley, , 2006.…”