Gathered in death : archaeological and ethnological perspectives on collective burial and social organisation  

Congrès, colloques, réunions

 

8-9 décembre 2016
Louvain-la-Neuve

​Salle du Sénat Académique

 

 

 

Collective tombs were widespread in the Near East and Europe during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, up to the point that their proliferation and diffusion in the late 4th millennium BC was singled out as a «phenomenon». All collective burials are characterized by the successive gathering, during a more or less extended period of time, of several deceased within the same space. The treatment of the body, however, as well as the mortuary practices and the rituals associated with collective tombs display much variability. Approaching the manipulation of the body would in itself deserve a full-scale investigation and, most certainly, an independent workshop. 

This round-table hence rather focuses on three interconnected issues pertaining to the identity of the deceased and the socio-cultural contextualization of collective burials. First of all, we aim at discussing potential selection criteria that may have restricted the access to the tomb to only a part of the community. The second issue focuses on the relationships between and among the deceased buried in the same tomb. The last issue to be addressed is related to the role played by collective burials as an arena of social negotiation.

 

To shed new light on these issues, this round-table first and foremost aims at combining archaeological and ethnological approaches. In this way, it is hoped that the workshop will broaden our perspectives regarding the ideological and social practices that motivate the gathering of the dead in the same tomb over several generations. 

 

Télécharger la présentation détaillée ci-dessous

 

Contact
Aurore Schmitt
Aurore.schmitt@univ-amu.fr
 

L'activation du site web pour les inscriptions est prévue en octobre 2016.