THANATOS: Exploring new directions in archaeoTHANatology and the Archaeology of death and burial
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Linnéuniversitetet - Inst för kulturvetenskaper |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 038 522 |
| Project duration | January 2020 - December 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
Important results from the project
THANATOS sought novel ways of studying how past societies treated their dead, by combining critical analysis of current methods and theories in archaeology with pioneering experimental research in human decomposition at a forensic research facility. This interdisciplinary research project furthermore aimed to expand the researcher’s competences, knowledge and experience and present new insights into past peoples’ experiences with death and dying to the general public.
Expected long term effects
The experiments revealed that a much wider range of variables affect the position and condition of skeletal remains in single and mass graves than hitherto thought and provide new parameters for reconstruction of past mortuary practices. This information can now be used to better reconstruct the circumstances surrounding death and burial in both prehistoric and forensic archaeological cases. Together with the supervisor and international colleagues the new framework of analysis developed in THANATOS was key to uncovering the first evidence for mummification in the Mesolithic.
Approach and implementation
Complex taphonomy governs the preservation and spatial relation of everything in the grave: understanding it is crucial to reconstructing human actions and natural processes. THANATOS used an actualistic approach and taphonomic experiments to understand the taphonomy of the grave and its relation to the preservation and position of the bones. Bone movements over time were recorded using 3D scanning techniques, and the recorded distances and direction of movement were analyzed using spatial and statistical methods, to identify common patterns in the data.