Burial of a Natufian Shaman

Natufian culture predates the Early Neolithic period and is known to demonstrate the first emergence of farming communites (Bar-Yosef & Valla 1990:433). Many burial sites have been discovered and excavated in Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon (Milstein 2008). In 2008 a new grave was discovered, this one of what is believed to be a shaman. I had never heard of this discovered until I stumbled upon it a few days ago which makes me wonder how this find was publicized (if at all) or perhaps I missed the news that day. But back to the details!

Above is a diagram of the shaman grave discovered by Grosman (Milstein 2008). The associated animal remains have been the determining factor in labelling this burial as belonging to that of a shaman, because no other Natufian graves have been discovered with the like (ibid.). The shaman was a woman, 45 years old (ibid.), and while with some confidence we can determine her a shaman, we cannot necessarily explain (with certainty) what rituals the animal remains were used for.

As mentioned, Natufian culture was key in the development of farming communties, but the importance of shamans in this period of transition away from nomadic lifestyle can only be guessed.
For the full report of Grosman's excavation see Grosman, Munro, and Belfer-Cohen 2008.

The animistic nature of the shaman is prevalent in the animal remains that have been placed close to the woman's body. Although the orientation of the body has probably been disrupted due to geological processes, she appears to have been buried in a crouched postion with her legs tucked beneath her. A stone slab was placed on the body (Milstein 2008) perhaps to keep scavengers away or to prevent the shaman's soul from leaving her body (or both).

I find it fascinating that this Natufian burial is the first of its kind to be discovered, and it shows what a dramatic change one site can intiate in our interpretation of long lost cultures.



Bar-Yosef, Ofer and Valla, F.
        1990      The Natufian Culture and the Origin of the Neolithic in the Levant. Current   Anthropology 31(4):433-436.

Grosman, Leore; Munro, Natalie D.; Belfer-Cohen, Anna
       2008      A 12,000-year-old Shaman burial from the southern Levant (Israel). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(46):17665-17669. http://www.pnas.org/content/105/46/17665.full (accessed March 31, 2013).

Milstein, Mati
        2008      Oldest Shaman Grave Found; Includes Foot, Animal Parts [Internet]. National Geograpic; [cited March 31, 2013]. Available from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081104-israel-shaman-missions.html

Celebration of Death and Life

The other day I was looking for inspiration for a topic for my next post when I came across a beautiful photo in the Atlantic 2012: The Year in Photos. (I really have no idea how I managed to happen across these pictures; the mysteries of the internet...). While there are many beautiful and emotional pictures, one in particular caught my eye.

In the description it talked about a practice I had never heard of before: the Quarup (or Kuarup). The Quarup is a giant festival that is head annually in July or August to celebrate and honour the dead. It is practiced by indigenous groups of the Xingu in the Amazon rainforest, and every year the festival brings together many of the different tribes.

The festival is a joyous occasion that involves music, dance, games and food, in addition to traditional rituals. This celebration also includes the celebration of life, and young women who have reached an age eligible for marriage are painted and dressed to be presented to find their future partner.

The dead here are celebrated in the context of the living, not mourned. The tribes of the Xingu honour their dead with joy and future fertility. Unfortunately, in a quick Google search I wasn't able to find very much on this celebration, but hopefully I will get a chance to research it further.

http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/indigenous-tribes.html

Ancestor's Wrath

A few posts ago, I enjoyed writing about the fictional burial practices concerning Dragon Priests (in the Elder Scrolls series), and how the concept of resurrection is protrayed through different aspects of the burial. I kept thinking about other fictional burial practices modeled after those one can find in the real world. One of the other races in the series, the Dunmer, practice a form of ancestor worship.

As far as I can tell, the body is first cremated, then the ashes and remaining fragments of bone are either stored in an urn and kept near the hearth of the home or at a separate little shrine; or, if the family is wealthy, the burnt remains will be displayed openly in raised circles on the floor (mixed with soil?) deep within a family tomb.

Tombs can house numerous ancestors, some circles grouped within a single chamber, and others dispersed throughout the tomb. The tombs are designed for the living members of the family to visit and interact with the dead. Prayer stools are placed before each circle, and offerings (usually food, herbs, or flowers) are laid upon the raised barrier fencing off the cremated remains. Sometimes chests and lockboxes will be placed nearby in which to place more valuable offerings (gold, weapons, armour) to prevent them from being stolen. Often within the tomb will be a chamber for sermons with numerous benches lined along both sides of the walls.

The dead in this practice are treated as entities that must be appeased to bring good fortune and strength to the entire family. They are risen almost to the status of gods. This reminds me a lot of the worship of the gods of Olympus in Ancient Greece, especially in the giving offerings in exchange for 'blessings' of good fortune in certain endeavors.

I looked up modern practices of ancestor worship and came across a neat little article describing a personal experience of gathering at a family tomb in Okinawa, Japan. It can be found here.

Burials... in SPACE!

Now, I may be overreacting (many people probably already know about this practice), but I had never heard of this prior to the course when I started to look into burial practices outside the norm. Space burials entail a "symbolic portion" of cremated remains to be launched into Earth's atmosphere, onto the surface of the moon, or into deep space. The clip on http://www.celestis.com/ reveals that the portion of the remains to be taken into space is actually quite small, but I suppose it's more the meaning behind the process anyway.

The cost of this service ranges from $995 (Earth's atmosphere) to $12,500 (deep space); more on this here. Services are performed at the launch site where families can experience what their passed loved ones always dreamed of.

This practice was made all the more intriguing to me in that one of the first few people launched in 1997 was Gene Roddenberry. As a Trekkie I was most excited to learn this. I also find the idea of looking up at the stars at night and knowing that your loved one is somewhere out there, somewhere where they had always dreamed of being, very special and intriguing.

Burial of a Dragon Priest

As a player of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I spend a lot of time exploring ancient ruins. I couldn't help but think: what if I was thrown into one of these tombs as an archaeologist? How would I interpret what I found there in the context of burial archaeology? Most importantly, I was interested in how I might go about interpreting the tomb of a Dragon Priest, and what sort of connections could I draw between an anthropological explanation and the lore of the game. (And yes, I'm a total Elder Scrolls nerd and have spent far too many hours on the games - but hey, at least now I'll be putting them to good use!)

Background:
The Dragon Priests were said to rule over Skyrim in the name of the Dragons. When they died, they were buried within ancient tombs and temples in the belief that they would be resurrected upon the prophesied return of Alduin, the 'World Eater' and king of the Dragons. They lived in a time of tyranny, where the Dragons enforced strict obedience of all. This obedience was to be ensured by the priests the Dragons appointed to rule in their name.

Structure of a Typical Tomb:
Tombs belonging to Dragon Priests are vast, multi-chambered, and are often guarded by devices ensuring the protection of the remains and valuable grave goods within. Each chamber is often stocked with urns varying greatly in size and decoration. The contents of these urns, for the most part, have been lost to time suggesting that most contained food or drink. There is often the presence of a large banquet hall nearing the center of the tomb. Storage closets are frequent, and vary in size. They are usually locked, and contain extra supplies such as armor, a few basic weapons, and foodstuffs. One of the most important chambers is one where the embalming takes place. While there are embalming tools spread throughout many of the chambers, most are stored within a smaller sized room with an open table to prepare the remains. This sacred place of preparation was well lit with candles and intricate designs are carved into the floor and walls. The final chamber holds the open sarcophagus of the Dragon Priest. This chamber is by far the largest, and was once a place of worship.

Traps:
There are many complex traps that lie within the tombs, all of which center around turning columns that bear the symbols of animals. While the Dragon Priests are known for their devout worship of the Dragons, they also revered many other animals. Those depicted include: a wolf, dragonfly, whale, eagle, owl, bear, snake, and a fox.

Servants:
The Dragon Priests enforced a strict and brutal law, and demanded obedience above all else. They made slaves out of most of the population, and required those slaves to serve in death as they had in life. The servants were sacrificed to be buried with the Dragon Priest upon his death. There is no differentiation between male and female servants, and each carries a weapon of their own choosing. Several servants were expected to preform daily rituals to sustain the body of the Priest and to one day facilitate the resurrection, but they long since died and are likely buried within the tomb as well. Status is determined by proximity to the Dragon Priest, the most loyal and experienced given resting places the closest to better protect their master. The more prominent of the servants were laid to rest wearing their armor and bearing weapons, whereas the less so were merely wrapped with linen.

Dragon Priest:
The Priest himself, as previously mentioned, was laid within an open sarcophagus in the largest chamber of the tomb. This open space served as a place of worship and respect. The body of the Priest was embalmed and dressed in fine robes adorned with armor crafted of Dragon scales. A large, secured chest nearby the sarcophagus hold the most valuable grave goods belonging to the Priest, yet his most prize possession remains on his person. The most powerful of the Dragon Priests bore great masks of power said to have been enchanted by the Dragons themselves. In death, the mask is placed upon the Priest's face to prevent his soul from leaving his body, trapped to await resurrection.

Interpretation:
The concept of resurrection is key to understanding a Dragon Priests tomb. The bodies of the Priest himself as well as his scores of slaves are all embalmed to preserve their bodies, and they are not interred but laid within alcoves carved into the stone. Some are propped upright as if ready to step out and defend the sanctity of the tomb. All of the bodies are exposed so their resurrection would be as simple as waking from a deep sleep. Upon resurrection, the tomb is equipped with foodstuffs and personal armor and weaponry, so each was ready to serve their Priest and newly returned Dragons.

(I had way too much to say about this...)