20th December 2005, 11:26 AM
Hmmmmm.Grave goods and their meaning.....
A huge and superb subject but here, I think that the overwhelming message is simply that an individuals role in life is not by default, always reflected or symbolised in the acts preparatory to disposal.As has been said by others here and, penned in many publications, grave goods may easily reflect the motivations of those who are doing the burying/cremating rather than a deliberate attempt to characterise the dead themselves.The mourners may deposit items that were a part of the dead`s favourite pastimes, items that were seen as momentos of events in the past, items that were given as gifts during life. Social/group/community identity may or not be the prime catalysts for structured deposits.Of course, when we venture into the realms of phenomenology,behavioural dynamics and the dreaded "ritual"-the waters are seriously muddied and the interpretive potential almost infinite. I think that we still suffer from vulnerability to "just-so" stories and in terms of "warrior" burials, may equally suffer from occasional bouts of romanticism.
A huge and superb subject but here, I think that the overwhelming message is simply that an individuals role in life is not by default, always reflected or symbolised in the acts preparatory to disposal.As has been said by others here and, penned in many publications, grave goods may easily reflect the motivations of those who are doing the burying/cremating rather than a deliberate attempt to characterise the dead themselves.The mourners may deposit items that were a part of the dead`s favourite pastimes, items that were seen as momentos of events in the past, items that were given as gifts during life. Social/group/community identity may or not be the prime catalysts for structured deposits.Of course, when we venture into the realms of phenomenology,behavioural dynamics and the dreaded "ritual"-the waters are seriously muddied and the interpretive potential almost infinite. I think that we still suffer from vulnerability to "just-so" stories and in terms of "warrior" burials, may equally suffer from occasional bouts of romanticism.