|
Alex, there is a widespread tendency for neophytes to cogitate on an issue for 5 minutes and then think that they have seen something which is invisible to experts who spend their lives studying the subject. It's always good for a laugh.
If you would like to be better informed you should drop down to Wollongong soon. The following seminar flyer (from which I have deleted unnecessary details) just arrived in my 'In Box'
Reconstructing funerary sequences in the Neolithic Near East: conducting forensic experiments for a better understanding of burial practices.
'X' is a post-doctoral research fellow .... Her research is focused on taphonomy of burials and lies at the interface between archaeo-anthropology and forensic sciences.
Seminar overview
Near Eastern Neolithic funerary practices encompass a range of practices, including intramural primary and secondary burials, as well as the retention, curation and re-deposition of skeletal elements. Based on current observations at several Near Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites, it is hypothesised that more complex, multi-stage funerary practices were employed.
This talk investigates pre-burial treatment and funerary sequences in the Neolithic Near East by integrating principles from forensic science and taphonomy in archaeo-anthropological investigations. Actualistic experiments were carried out at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) to better understand Neolithic multi-stage funerary practices and their link to social organisation and ideology.
|