18th December 2005, 11:19 PM
there is also the problem of interpreting what exactly are grave goods (intentionally buried with the deceased), and what are accidental losses, intrusive or residual finds in the grave fill. This does not have to apply just to pottery sherds etc. For example, a ring is found in the grave fill of a skeleton from a cemetery that was known to have already gone out of use by the mid-14th century. The ring is dated to the 16th Century so has to be an intrusive find rather than a grave good, though what conclusion would have been made if the dates of ring and burial had matched?...
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++
++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++