Farewell...

As the semester comes to an end and we conclude our study of the archaeology of death and burial, I would just like to say how much I enjoyed the class! The content was very interesting and although scheduling group work was frustrating at times, it's good practice for future careers! Hopefully I will get hired on with the RCMP (they phoned last week and offered me an interview...the first of two).

I would also like to rant a little bit about the past couple of days and why I am only getting this blog finished up and submitted now (instead of yesterday). My fiancee and I bought a house and decided that the closing/moving date would be OK during the last week of school...wrong!! So instead of submitting my blog entries yesterday, I was spending the entire day moving and with disconnected internet. My initial plan was to complete the blog on Tuesday during my 3 hour break between classes. Instead, I spent that 3 hours at Best Buy trying to get my laptop fixed and my school work recovered after it crashed the night before. Apparently the hard drive might be suddenly fried even though the laptop is only 6 months old.

The good news out of all of this is that I did get my school work recovered from the laptop (phew!) and I'm a homeowner for the first time! Thank you to anyone who paid attention long enough to listen to my rant! Have a great summer everyone!

Canada's War Memorial

Above: The National War Memorial
http://www.gothereguide.com/national+war+memorial+ottawa-place/

Tuesday's class on memorials gave me the idea for this blog post. Growing up in Ottawa, I have always admired the National War Memorial. I was also deeply touched when the unknown soldier became incorporated into that memorial. The tomb of the unknown soldier serves to remind us of all those that gave the ultimate sacrifice and were never recovered.

Above: The tomb of the Unknown Soldier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier_-_Tombe_du_Soldat_inconnu.jpg

When I lived in Ottawa I would try my best every Remembrance Day to attend the ceremonies at the War Memorial. Thousands of others would also turn out to pay their respects and remember those that gave their lives for our freedom. I would see tears in many eyes and veterans in wheel chairs thinking back to days long past. I would often wonder what was going through their minds, what images were as vivid as the day they occurred. Did they think of the good times they had with their comrades during the war or the bad times when they lost their friends? Whatever the memories of each veteran and civilian present at the Remembrance Day Ceremonies, the War Memorial acts as a beacon to bring Canadians together.

Forensic Archaeology

Forensic archaeology is essentially the use of archaeological skills and expertise in the context of a criminal investigation. This can include anything from the recovery of evidence to the recovery of mass graves.

Being interested in law enforcement, this aspect of anthropology and archaeology is particularly interesting to me. There are two ways to approach this specialized section of archaeology. One can be a trained forensic archaeologist with a PhD who is contracted by various police departments to work on crime scenes. Conversely, one can be a police officer who is trained to work as part of the forensic identification section.

What is seen on television in drama shows such as CSI:Crime Scene Investigation and Bones is highly unrealistic. In reality, forensic identification officers work on a variety of crime scenes from robbery scenes (e.g. looking for fingerprints) to murder scenes (e.g. examining human remains). Much of the highly technical equipment seen on television is also far-fetched. Officers cannot simply scan a fingerprint into a computer and produce a perfect match. Several matches are generally produced after which the officer must visually inspect the characteristics of each fingerprint before deciding on the best match.

As a police applicant myself, I may choose to do this sort of work. Only the future will tell!

For more information visit www.forensicarchaeology.org

The Pyramids of Egypt

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm

Although I am doing my case study on two ancient elite burials from Egypt, the case study does not include a discussion of pyramids. I have always found pyramids to be fascinating, especially in terms of their vast passage ways and impressive construction.

In ancient Egypt it was believed that a part of a deceased pharaoh's spirit remained with the body. Thus, massive tombs were built to safeguard that part of the spirit. Some of these tombs were built as pyramids, resembling a pointed, sacred stone called a benben. The benben symbolize the rays of the sun and it was thought that pharaohs souls ascended to heaven through sunbeams.

It appears that the pyramids were built by approximately 20,000 to 30,000 workers from the village under the rule of a pharaoh. Building occurred over 80 years and massive limestone blocks were most likely floated down the Nile river from quarries to the base of the pyramids. The blocks would have been polished by hand and pushed up ramps to their respective resting places.

Interstingly, individuals specializing in religion and astronomy worked with architects to design the location and orientation of each pyramid. The pyramids had to be on a particular axis in relation to sacred constellations.

The Red Pyramid
http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html

The Red Pyramid, built by Pharaoh Snefru around 2600 B.C. was the first "true" pyramid successfully built. It contains a descending passageway of 62.63 metres in length, followed by two antechambers and the single main burial chamber which measures 4.18 by 8.55 metres. It is unknown if Pharaoh Snefru was actually laid to rest at this location.

For more information on the pyramids of Egypt, visit National Geographic's website for an interactive learning experience:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html

Mass Graves in Japan

Reuters has reported on the way in which those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan are dealing with their dead:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/23/us-japan-graves-idUSTRE72M1JE20110323

Buddhist traditional mortuary practices call for a particular sequence of events that must be followed after a death. Deceased individuals are to be returned home and placed in bed with their heads pointing north. A funeral, wake, and cremation are required before the ashes are transferred into an urn using chopsticks. The urn is displayed in the home for a period of time before eventually being buried.

With bodies expected to number in the tens of thousands as a result of the earthquake and tsunami, there is already a considerable back-up at morgues and crematoriums that cannot cope with the demand. A shortage of kerosene (used for cremations) is also leading to the closure of crematoriums.

With many bodies unidentified, authorities are being forced to bury them in mass graves, some only temporarily with exhumation and future cremation planned.

Witnessing events such as these illustrates the way in which funerary practices can be greatly influenced by natural disasters and other factors. This must be kept in mind when studying the archaeological record, as things are not always as they appear. Although Buddhist mortuary practices exist, they are not evident (and would not be archaeologically evident) in a situation where mass graves are the only burial option.

A Reflective Reading of "Body and Soul among the Maya: Keeping the Spirits in Place"

The journal article "Body and Soul among the Maya: Keeping the Spirits in Place" by Susan D. Gillespie discusses the idea that the Maya interred their deceased within family residences in order to ensure their control. The intangible aspects of the deceased such as the soul were thus used to perpetuate the kin group.

In keeping with the reflective readings assigned throughout the semester in Anthropology 392: Archaeology of Death and Burial, the following 3 questions and answers are designed to motivate contemplation.

1. What are the enduring components of personhood that Gillespie mentions?

The enduring components of personhood Gillespie refers to in her article are titles, prerogatives, names, and souls. These intangible components are usually considered to belong to the collective as opposed to the individual (Gillespie 2002:68).

2. Why was the Maya Civilization chosen for Gillespie's case study?

The Maya Civilization provides historic, epigraphic, ethnographic, and suggestive archaeological evidence for the transmission of names, the belief in souls, and the reincarnation of ancestral personalities into new generations. These intangible components are used to declare and maintain property rights for kin groups(Gillespie 2002:68).

3. What conclusions did Gillespie reach?

It was concluded that intangible property was of great importance to the Maya and that it was used to maintain the longevity of a kin group. Like material belingings, intangible property needed to be renewed over time to maintain its existence (72). In other words, the "curation, transformation, and renewal of the group's material and immaterial property" aids with claims of group continuity (Gillespie 2002:73).

Gillespie, S.D. 2002, ". Body and Soul among the Maya: Keeping the Spirits in Place", Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 67-78.

Archaeology in the news: a tomb in Peru

Appearing in the Edmonton Journal on January 20, 2011 is a story titled "Ancient noble's tomb found in Peru."

The 1,100 year old tomb is believed to belong to a pre-columbian lord and is located in the Lambayeque's Bosque de Pomac historical sanctuary in northern Peru.

The remains of the Sican lord were discovered in a sitting position on a litter, along with silver and gold artifacts, a crown, and a mask. Litters were the preferred method of transportation among elites during this time, thus the presence of the litter and other grave goods signifies wealth and high status.

Above: the mask discovered in the tomb, courtesty of Pimental Beach Press

The importance of this find for archaeologists is its close link to the beginning of the construction of a large nearby pyramid known as Las Ventanas. The director of the project said the discovery may give some insight as to the socio-political structure at the time.

In general, any archaeological find, especially those of antiquity, are of interest to the media and general public. Such finds can reveal secrets about the past that we are always curious to discover. Whether this particular discovery caught the attention of the public and held it is probably something that must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those who have an interest in South American history and prehistory may be fascinated by this burial and continue to keep updated on any further related finds. I was only able to find one general article on the discovery, however it was published in many newspapers worldwide including:

Edmonton Journal
Pimental Beach Press
Archaeology Daily News
The Ottawa Citizen
The Brunei Times

Since the find is relatively recent, it may take some time for more articles to be produced on the subject.