Society for American Archaeology 2016

Next week is the annual Society for American Archaeology meeting, taking place in Orlando, Florida. I am extremely excited for this year’s conference because it is the first time I’m publicly presenting my dissertation research and results! The SAAs is always a fantastic time for me to learn about new research in the field, and collaborate and connect with other archaeologists. As usual, following the conference, I’ll be sharing short write-ups of the bioarchaeology related sessions and talks that I attend. Here, I want to share the fascinating symposium that I am going to be a part of, as well as the other death related sessions that may be of interest to you! Who is ready for some sunny weather and death related talks!?!

Orlando at night, by Ricardo’s Photography

Buried, burned, Bundled and Broken: Approaches to Co-occurrence of Multiple Methods, Treatments and Styles of Burials Within Past Societies (April 8, 2016 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

In this invited symposium, we will be discussing the presence of different forms of burial and disposal types within one cemetery site, and the challenges that come with doing this work.

Abstract: Bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology have historically relied on complete inhumations as the source of data based on human remains. However, not all cemeteries have only inhumed burials- cremation, secondary burial and other methods can co-occur at sites these sites. Despite this, the cremated or commingled remains have often deteriorated in museum stores, been relegated to the appendices or ignored due to their interpretive difficulty. Over the past two decades, the value of cremated, commingled and fragmentary remains has been recognized, and there has been increased attention paid to these types of burials. Recent publications have shown that cremated, disarticulated and commingled remains can provide important information on past people and their behavior that isn’t always apparent with complete inhumations. These conversations often address a specific type of body treatment after death, and there is little discussion occurring between them. Increased conversation is needed about the presence of multiple burial treatments within single sites, and how different forms of body treatment compare. While each treatment is unique and requires specific contextual analysis, when multiple forms of body treatment co-occur at the same site- a complete discussion is required. This session brings together archaeologists studying co-occurrence of multiple forms of burial in order to generate discussion, and further promote the study of cremation, commingling, and other types of treatments alongside the discussion of complete inhumations.

Within this session, speakers include myself, Colin Quinn, Mark Schurr, Gabriel Wrobel, Jess Beck, Joanna Bruck, and Megan Perry, and our discussant is Lynne Goldstein.

My presentation will share my dissertation research, which examines the presence of cremation and inhumation within Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, and develops a method for examining these two forms in an equal manner.

Other Bioarchaeology/Mortuary Archaeology Related Sessions

This list features just a selection of the many sessions that feature these topics and may be of interest, but there are many talks about bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology that are included in broader sessions. If you would like to share your talk here, please comment below and I’ll add you!

April 7, 2016

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- The Bioarchaeology of Frontier and Borderlands. Symposium.
- On the Move: Archaeological Approaches to Children and Childhood. Sponsored Symposium.
- Bioarchaeology and Taphonomy. Poster Session.
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Mortuary Studies in the Mesoamerican World. General Session.
- European Bioarchaeology. General Session.

April 8, 2016

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Buried, burned, Bundled and Broken: Approaches to Co-occurrence of Multiple Methods, Treatments and Styles of Burials Within Past Societies. Symposium.
- Human Sacrifice in Ancient Mesoamerica: New Evidences and Theoretical Perspectives. Symposium.
1:00 – 5:00 PM
- Current Bioarchaeological Research in the Casas Grandes Region. Symposium.

April 9, 2016

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Mortuary Practices in the Ancient Southwest. General Session.
- The Poetics of Processing: Memory Formation, Cosmology and the Handling of the Dead. Symposium.

April 10, 2016

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Consumption Patterns and Funerary Rituals at the Site of Panquilma, Lurin Valley, Peruvian Central Coast.. Sponsored Symposium.
- Eastern US Bioarchaeology. General Session.

Hope to see you there! As usual, I will have stickers if anyone is interested!