Funerary archaeology (or burial archaeology) is a branch of

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

that studies the treatment and commemoration of the dead. It includes the study of human remains, their burial

contexts ''Contexts'': ''Understanding People in their Social Worlds'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal and an official publication of the American Sociological Association. It is designed to be a more accessible source of sociological ideas ...

, and from single

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are items buried along with a body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into an afterlife, or offerings to gods. Grave goods may be classed by researche ...

through to monumental

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

. Funerary archaeology might be considered a sub-set of the study of religion and belief. A wide range of expert areas contribute to funerary archaeology, including

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

material culture studies Material culture is culture manifested by the physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The field considers artifacts ...

thanatology Thanatology is the scientific study of death and the losses brought about as a result. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the postmortem period, as well as wider psycho ...

human osteology Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practiced by osteologists . A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, archaeology and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morp ...

zooarchaeology Zooarchaeology or archaeozoology merges the disciplines of zoology and archaeology, focusing on the analysis of animal remains within archaeological sites. This field, managed by specialists known as zooarchaeologists or faunal analysts, examines ...

and

stable isotope analysis Isotope analysis is the identification of isotopic signature, abundance of certain stable isotopes of chemical elements within organic and inorganic compounds. Isotopic analysis can be used to understand the flow of energy through a food web ...

Laws

Funerary archaeology within the United States is also connected with the legal system after the implication of the

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law enacted on November 16, 1990. The Act includes three major sets of provisions. The "re ...

(NAGPRA) established in 1990. The act set requirements that any facility, museum, or repository receiving federal funds must declare and return any human remains or funerary artifacts to a federally recognized tribe if cultural affiliation can be declared between the tribe and the artifacts in the facilities possession. In order to determine if a tribe or descendant has cultural affiliation there are nine avenues to examine: geographical, kinship, biological, archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, folklore, oral tradition, and historial. If affiliation can be determined and the tribe is federally recognized, the remains or funerary artifacts can be

repatriated Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

. Involving Indigenous communities in the repatriation process and recognizing their knowledge and expertise in understanding their own cultural heritage is essential. Archaeologists and Indigenous people can get a more thorough knowledge of the remains and foster cultural understanding and appreciation by working together in a respectful and collaborative manner. Cal-NAGPRA is a policy that can achieve this. For example, Hopi tribe has provided important contextual information about the use of natural resources and the significance of particular sites, which has helped archaeologists to interpret the data more accurately.

Bibliography

* Parker Pearson, M. (1999) '' The Archaeology of Death and Burial''. Stroud: Sutton. * Tarlow, S. and Nilsson Stutz, L. eds. (2013). ''The Oxford Handbook of Death and Burial''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

References

{{Archaeology Archaeological sub-disciplines