Is there a crisis facing British burial archaeology
TL;DR: For example, the Science Museum returned the remains of Tasmanian Aborigines to their cultural home (Henderson 2007) and the legal system governing the excavation of human remains was reinterpreted as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: 2007 was an eventful year for the ethics of burial in Britain: the Science Museum returned the remains of Tasmanian Aborigines to their cultural home (Henderson 2007), the legal system governing the excavation of human remains was reinterpreted (Small 2008), The Guardian reported on the desire of neo-pagans to take ownership of human remains (Randerson 2007) and there was a debate in the museum literature on just this topic (see Restall Orr & Bienkowski 2006 and Smith & Mays 2007). In light of these changes and debates it may be unsurprising to learn that many British archaeologists feel that it is ' getting more difficult to work with human remains '.
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TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that death is not taboo and that modern death scholars use archaeological source material as a way to understand the subtlety of the human experience Funerary archaeology is not a dangerous topic; rather it makes a very real and valuable contribution to modern society, providing one of the few ways that people can experience a corpse and so explore their own mortality and with it their place within the larger human story.
Abstract: Archaeologists have often taken it for granted that death is a taboo topic in modern society However, the fear of death hypothesis is contested within the social sciences, so does it still follow that the display of the ancient dead is in some way shameful or unacceptable? In this paper it is argued that death is not taboo and that modern death scholars use archaeological source material as a way to understand the subtlety of the human experience Funerary archaeology is not a dangerous topic; rather it makes a very real and valuable contribution to modern society, providing one of the few ways that people can experience a corpse and so explore their own mortality and with it their place within the larger human story
44 citations
Cites background from "Is there a crisis facing British bu..."
...Despite the achievements of Body Worlds it is perhaps the controversy which has had the most lasting effect on the display community and has contributed to the feeling that burial archaeology is in crisis (Sayer 2009, 2010)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors call for a more holistic approach to the archaeology of medieval Christian belief, one which moves beyond the focus on institutions and monuments that has characterized monastic and church archaeology and extends archaeological study to include the performative rituals of Christian life and death in the Middle Ages.
Abstract: Major advances in church and monastic archaeology are discussed in terms of two distinct waves, ca. 1970–1995 and 1995 to the time of writing (2014). The first wave was influenced by landscape history and processual archaeology; scholarship focused principally on historical, economic, and technological questions and targeted individual sites and monuments for study. The second wave has been informed by postprocessual approaches and considers change and complexity in religious landscapes and perspectives on religious space, embodiment, and agency. In conclusion, this article calls for a more holistic approach to the archaeology of medieval Christian belief, one which moves beyond the focus on institutions and monuments that has characterized monastic and church archaeology and extends archaeological study to include the performative rituals of Christian life and death in the Middle Ages.
27 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2018
21 citations
TL;DR: The authors explores the role that the worldwide movement of repatriation of human remains and cultural heritage, from museums and other institutions to minorities and indigenous populations, plays in the preservation of cultural heritage.
Abstract: This article explores the role that the worldwide movement of repatriation of human remains and cultural heritage—from museums and other institutions to minorities and indigenous populations—plays ...
20 citations
15 Dec 2011
TL;DR: Human remains are a fundamental part of the archaeological record, offering unique insights into the lives of individuals and populations in the past as discussed by the authors, while technological innovations and the accumulation of expertise have enabled archaeologists to extract ever greater amounts of information from assemblages of skeletal material.
Abstract: Human remains are a fundamental part of the archaeological record, offering unique insights into the lives of individuals and populations in the past. Like many archaeological materials human remains require distinctive and specialised methods of recovery, analysis and interpretation, while technological innovations and the accumulation of expertise have enabled archaeologists to extract ever greater amounts of information from assemblages of skeletal material. Alongside analyses of new finds, these advances have consistently thrown new light on existing collections of human remains in museums, universities and other institutions. Given the powerful emotional, social and religious meanings attached to the dead body, it is perhaps unsurprising that human remains pose a distinctive set of ethical questions for archaeologists.
18 citations
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Book•
01 Mar 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a set of rules for finding a high magic and a low magic in the context of finding a language and a structure in the world of magic.
Abstract: MACROCOSM 1. Finding a Language 2. Finding a Goddess 3. Finding a God 4. Finding a Structure 5. Finding a High Magic 6. Finding a Low Magic 7. Finding a Folklore 8. Finding a Witchcraft 9. Matrix 10. God (and Goddess) Parents MICROCOSM 11. Gerald Gardner 12. Gerald's People 13. The Wider Context: Hostility 14. The Wider Context: Reinforcement 15. Old Craft, New Craft 16. The Man in Black 17. Royalty from the North 18. Uncle Sam and the Goddess 19. Coming of Age 20. Grandchildren of the Shadows Notes Index
175 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that archaeologists have no inherent right of access to human remains, grave goods, or objects of cultural heritage, and that respecting diverse cultural views does not amount to an abdication of academic freedom.
Abstract: It is our opinion that archaeologists have no inherent right of access to human remains, grave goods, or objects of cultural heritage; that respecting diverse cultural views does not amount to an abdication of academic freedom; that historically archaeologists have been unanthropological in their approach to living populations and inconsistent in their treatment of indigenous peoples; and that archaeologists are fighting a losing battle when they ignore public opinion and clash with indigenous groups in the name of science. We offer some guidelines that we feel will alleviate much of the current tensions between archaeologists and indigenous peoples. A professional ethic must be devised that is consciously anthropological, values the rights of those studied and their cultural descendants in their own terms, and places academic pursuits in their proper context.
40 citations
TL;DR: Webb as mentioned in this paper, as a physical anthropologist working in Australia, is one of the professionals whose work would most directly be affected by reburial of human skeletal remains, and he gives here, at the invitation of the editor, his impressions of rebURial issues in Australia; the opinions expressed here are strictly his own and may not reflect those of his colleagues.
Abstract: Dr Webb, as a physical anthropologist working in Australia, is one of the professionals whose work would most directly be affected by reburial of human skeletal remains. He gives here, at the invitation of the editor, his impressions of reburial issues in Australia; the opinions expressed here are strictly his own and may not reflect those of his colleagues.
32 citations
TL;DR: The Working Group on Human Remains established by the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 2001 to review the current legal status of human remains held in all publicly funded museums and galleries, and to consider and review submissions on the issue of the return of non-UK human remains to their descendent communities.
Abstract: The editor’s question “who do human skeletons belong to?” (Antiquity 78: 5) can be answered positively, but it must be answered in context. The question was prompted by reports from the Working Group on Human Remains established by the British government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 2001 to review the current legal status of human remains held in all publicly funded museums and galleries, and to consider and review submissions on the issue of the return of non-UK human remains to their descendent communities (DCMS 2003: 1-8). In effect, the report was primarily concerned with human remains from Indigenous communities, using a definition which follows the UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as “distinct cultural groups having a historical continuity with pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories” (DCMS 2003:7). Consequently, the report deals primarily with the Indigenous communities of Australia, New Zealand and North America.
25 citations