One by One

A Taphonomic Study of the Multiple Grave VI-2 at the Cemetery of Dudka

Abstract

One by One. A Taphonomic Study of the Multiple Grave VI-2 at the Cemetery of Dudka

Grave VI-2 is the only grave at the cemetery of Dudka (Masuria, north-eastern Poland) which contains three sitting burials and is the most complicated of all the graves in the cemetery. The taphonomic analyses of grave VI-2 proved that the deceased were buried in the pit in at least two episodes. In the first episode, a young adult male – individual C – was interred in a sitting-squatting position. The next two primary burials of the second male (ind. A) and a child (ind. B) were added sometime later in the second funeral episode, when the body of individual C was decomposing. Disarticulated bones of other individuals were most probably added to grave VI-2 in the second episode, which is suggested by their location inside the grave. The cremation was at the top of the grave, so it could have been added later, in a possible third funeral episode. The body position of the sitting individuals, as well as the location of the bones of the secondary burials, was undoubtedly intentionally arranged. It could have a ritual importance and most probably indicate the kinship and social relations between the deceased.