Mortuary Analysis

Mortuary analysis consists of the study of the contexts in which human remains are recovered in archaeological excavations. However, the manner in which human burials and their contents have been analyzed has varied through time as theoretical paradigms in archaeology and their associated goals have changed. Initially examined for chronological keys, burials have subsequently be used to reconstruct social structures, to interpret religious or ideological meaning, to examine negotiations between social groups, to study the role of ancestors among the living, and to study social inequality. The field has also seen an increasing awareness of the importance of the dead in the lives of the living both in the past and in contemporary society.