20th December 2005, 11:21 PM
Quote:quote: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
If one considers ancient burial practices in the light of the present-day ritual, then there is the 'danger' of placing our beliefs and practices on them. But the consensus of opinion regarding ancient burial practices reflects a view that they were very much different from us, being more in awe of the afterlife, and the need to be prepared for it, which included taking what items you could with you.
It is always possible that the relatives or friends of the deceased wanted him/her to have a better way of life in the nether world, and 'presented' them with grave goods that would help improve their status. It could explain why there are so many women and children buried with weapons, but somehow I can't see the 'warrior class' allowing this to happen if, as I believe, they were so jealous of their status. Were this the case, wouldn't we see much more 'high-status' graves?