ANTH 3590 - Funerary Archaeology

This course will explore the diversity of funerary rites of both living and past populations on a global scale. We will examine in detail the type of information that can be learned through the analysis of human remains themselves, as well as from archaeological and historical burial sites. Specific case studies will address a variety of topics and methodologies, such as community organization and social identity, status and rank, analysis of skeletal remains, age, gender, and kinship, post-mortem body processing and preservation (e.g., mummification), and the ethical treatment and analysis of human remains. The time range to be covered will span from the Neolithic to the Modern Era, providing a broad range of insight into the myriad ways in which mortuary analyses and funerary archaeology can provide a better understanding of global communities in both the past and present.

Prerequisites & Corequisites: Prerequisites: Sophomore standing

Credits: 3 hours