ANTHR 7125 - Funerary Archaeology

(crosslisted)
(also ARKEO 7125 )

Fall. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Co-meets with ANTHR 4125/ARKEO 4125.

M. Machicek.

This course will explore the diversity of mortuary rites of both living and past populations on a global scale. Throughout the semester we will examine in detail the types of information that can be learned through the analysis of funerary contexts. The time range to be covered will span from the Neolithic to the early 20th century. Specific case studies will address a variety of topics and issues, such as Community Organization and Social Identity, Mortuary Rituals and Ethnographic Analogy, the Analysis of Skeletal Remains, Post-Mortem Body Processing and Preservation (e.g. mummification) and the Ethical Treatment and Analysis of Human Remains.