Session: #308

Content:

According to Christian beliefs, the buried body should not be accompanied by grave goods – a break with earlier traditions in many pre-historic cultures. However, recent research has focused on the fact that many medieval cemeteries throughout Europe contain a wide variety of objects, and other forms of deposit, in graves, seemingly related to the burial ritual. Some are clearly linked to Christian belief (such as rosaries and pilgrim badges), but others are more difficult to interpret – for instance stones placed on the body, charcoal deposits and pottery sherds arranged in the grave. Some expressions are diffuse, and easy to overlook – and it is sometimes unclear if the material remains are intentionally placed or a result of taphonomic processes.
We believe that a wider awareness of such unusual deposits would increase the frequency of them being identified and interpreted as part of the burial ritual. By asking new questions, such as: What actions are seen in the burial?; and Who do we see in the material expressions in the grave?, we may discuss the meanings behind the material traces and shed new light on medieval lived religion, including Christian ideology, folkloric traditions, views of death and the body, as well as social relations in medieval communities across Europe.
In this session we are looking for examples of high and late medieval churchyards and graves (AD 1000-1500) showing various expressions of mortuary practice, both objects, and other deposits and features related to burial rituals. We are interested in the presentation of case studies, interpretations and hypotheses, and theoretical considerations of materiality and practice in relation to death and burial. The aim is to enhance knowledge of the materiality of medieval burials in Europe, to discuss variations, meanings, and to consider how material expressions of burial rituals may be identified in archaeological practice.

Session: #308

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