Skeletal analysis and mortuary practice in an Early Roman chamber tomb at Kenchreai, Greece

Abstract

Recent exploration of the site of Kenchreai, the eastern port of Corinth in southern Greece, has focussed on a cemetery of subterranean chamber tombs dating chiefly to the Early Roman period (middle-late 1st to 3rd centuries AD). The copious but fragmentary human bones and teeth found in Tomb 10 have been disturbed since burial by natural processes, including bedrock erosion and the infiltration of moisture, roots and basic sediment, and by destructive looters. Nonetheless, the remains furnish considerable information about the mortuary practices of wealthy residents. Analysis of the remains in their archaeological and taphonomic contexts reveals that Tomb 10 contained at least 23 individuals, 15 inhumed in loculi and 8 cremated and placed in niches, sometimes in urns. The identification of males, females and subadults among the burned and unburned bones and teeth suggests that spouses, parents and children probably from several generations of the same lineage or household were buried here. The nature of the cremated fragments reflects a laborious process during which mourners burned bodies on substantial pyres at extremely high temperatures for a long time. Then they carefully extracted a representative sample of small fragments from throughout the reduced skeleton for burial at the tomb. This study contributes to a better understanding of mortuary practices in the Roman East, particularly the Greek world, where the chamber tomb was a common sepulchral type.

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.…”

“…Archaeological evidence such as burial context is often considered alongside skeletal evidence to give a fuller picture of the deceased and their society, as well as a more general overview of the time and region they lived in (Scott et al, 2010;Ubelaker and Rife, 2009). However, ritual and spiritual aspects of ancient society are often invisible archaeologically.…”

Bioarchaeological Notes on the Commingled Human Remains Held in the Church of Saint Francis of Paola, Sant’Angelo di Brolo, Sicily, Italy

“…Recently, in the field of bioarchaeology, attention has also been given to extremely damaged and commingled human remains. There are several examples of analyses of fragmentary human bones, such as a study on mortuary practices of an early Roman chamber tomb in Corinthia, Greece [1]. This research was carried out using a highly considered bioarchaeological approach and contextual interpretation following excavation, providing evidence for the role of cremation in local funerary practices [1].…”

“…There are several examples of analyses of fragmentary human bones, such as a study on mortuary practices of an early Roman chamber tomb in Corinthia, Greece [1]. This research was carried out using a highly considered bioarchaeological approach and contextual interpretation following excavation, providing evidence for the role of cremation in local funerary practices [1]. An additional study on commingled remains from rural South Africa focused on bones found in a maize bag and their possible origin.…”