ANTH 0538 Midterm Ultimate Study Guide

Core Principle of Mortuary Archaeology

The dead do not bury themselves; graves are outcomes of funerary and mortuary activities executed by living people.

Deathways

Encompass all funerary activities, mortuary rituals, and practices surrounding the handling, mourning, and interring of a deceased individual.

Epistemological Shift in Mortuary Archaeology

Transition from treating graves as mere containers of artifacts to viewing them as contextual clues revealing social, political, and ritual deathways.

Active View of Funeral Rituals

Funeral rituals are considered active agents that generate and negotiate social order, rather than merely reflecting it.

Robert Hertz's Contribution

Explored the relationship between the corpse, the soul, and mourners, emphasizing the concept of double funerals.

NAGPRA

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990) governs the treatment of Native American human remains and funerary objects in the U.S.

Decolonized Archaeology

Empowers descendant communities to lead research agendas, prioritizing collaborative approaches and humanizing past individuals.

Restorative Justice Archaeology

Methodology to address historic racial trauma through archaeological inquiry and community-based practices.

Dental Caries

High rates of cavities correlate with high-carbohydrate, starchy diets typical of agricultural economies.

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH)

Visible grooves or lines of deficient enamel thickness reflecting childhood stress episodes experienced between 7 months and 7 years.

Stable Isotope Analysis

Method used to trace dietary sources and food web dynamics through isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen.

Tableau Mort

An image created with the dead, staging multiple corpses in a way that conveys a visual narrative.

Atypical Burials

Mortuary treatments that deliberately deviate from normative practices, indicating different attitudes toward the deceased.

Conchopata Case Study

Examined atypical burial practices of marginalized individuals in the Wari Empire, reflecting their outsider status.