Learning

The goals of our research will be based on the knowledge and interpretation of:

1. The human skeletal remains and the treatment of the corpse.
2. Typology, location and architecture of the funeral spaces.
3. The offerings, the symbolic objects and the funeral gestures.
4. The memory of the deceased, epigraphy, painting, sculpture and the exterior image of the tomb
5. Symbolism, religion, superstition and rituals.
6. The reconstruction of what really happened after the death of the deceased until the moment he was definitively deposited in his grave and how he died and lived.

Our program presents a unique opportunity to learn how properly excavate and document cremated burials from an archaeological site and how reconstruct biological profiles from fragmented and distorted bone elements. Participants will learn about rituals and process of burning and cremating human body, as well as excavation methods, documentation and analysis of the findings.

Our program is designed to provide, to students or professionals, knowledge and experience about cremation remains and burials which can be applied in forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, bioarchaeology, and archaeology of death and burial.

Themes:

1. FIELD ANTHROPOLOGY. The documentation and field record.
2. DOCUMENTATION OF THE DIFFERENT FUNERAL CONTEXTS. The individual graves, plurals and reductions, the secondary graves, the graves of children.
3. THE BIOLOGICAL CONTEXT. Identification of human skeleton, recognition of individual bones and teeth, characteristics, size and shape of human bone components. Estimation of age, sex, height, cause of death, pathologies, etc.
4. Archaeology of death and burial
5. Introduction cremation
6. Cremation in archaeology and forensic science
7. Roman funerary archaeology
8. Process of cremation
9. Excavation and documentation cremation burials
10. Osteological analysis of cremains

• Fragmentation of cremains
• Identification of bone fragments
• Identification non-human bones
• Recording of cremated bones.
• Establishing MNI
• Describing biological profile

11. Advanced analysis of cremains

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• Microexcavation of funerary urns
• Conservation methods for cremated bone
• Identification and weighing of cremated bone
• Measurements of cremated bones when possible
• Morphological and taphonomic variation in cremated bone
• Recording information in a database
• Interpretation of cremated bone

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