The social uses of dead people: Problems and solutions in the analysis of post-mortem body processing in the archaeological record

This study presents an analysis of the ways in which archaeologists can document the use of human bones as memento mori in prehistoric society. Ethnographic examples of post mortem body processing are reviewed for three societies. In Chapter Two and Three, the burials of the Adena mortuary complex which exhibit evidence of post mortem body processing are evaluated within the context of current mortuary analyses. Two models are then outlined and contrasted; a natural model of bone destruction is contrasted with a cultural model in which bones are removed or lost through human interaction. A critical variable in the decay of bone is its density. Chapter Five examines published research on bone density and develops estimates for a Native American population. The resulting density values are used as estimates to evaluate the probabilities that the Adena burials with less than the full complement of elements are the result of natural or cultural activities. In Chapter Six and Seven, these cultural behaviors are evaluated within the context of the entire mortuary program. Chapter Eight assesses the implications of this study for our understanding of the Adena mortuary program.