The past in the past in the mortuary practice of hunter-gatherers: An example from a settlement and cemetery site in northern Latvia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

During excavations of burials at Zvejnieki in northern Latvia, it transpired that the grave fill included occupation material brought to the grave. It contained tools of a type that could not be contemporaneous with the grave. This is confirmed by the dating of bone tools and other bone finds in the fill. The fill was taken from an older settlement site a short distance away. The fill also included skeletal parts of humans whose graves had been destroyed with the digging of the grave for a double burial. This provides an interesting view of the mortuary practice of hunter-gatherers and an insight into the use of the past in the past.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)338-345
Number of pages8
JournalDocumenta Praehistorica
Volume44
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Archaeology

Free keywords

  • hunter-gatherer
  • Latvia
  • Mesolithic
  • Mortuary practice
  • Neolithic
  • Northern Europe
  • Occupation layer
  • Rituals

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