Journal article
Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain
Antiquity, Vol.79(305), pp.529-546
2005
Abstract
Ancient Egyptians are thought to have been the only people in the Old World who were practising mummification in the Bronze Age (c. 2200-700 BC). But now a remarkable series of finds from a remote Scottish island indicates that Ancient Britons were performing similar, if less elaborate, practices of bodily preservation. Evidence of mummification is usually limited to a narrow range of arid or frozen environments which are conducive to soft tissue preservation. Mike Parker Pearson and his team show that a combination of microstructural, contextual and AMS 14 C analysis of bone allows the identification of mummification in more temperate and wetter climates where soft tissues and fabrics do not normally survive. Skeletons from Cladh Hallan on South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland were buried several hundred years after death, and the skeletons provide evidence of post mortem manipulation of body parts. Perhaps these practices were widespread in mainland Britain during the Bronze Age.
Details
- Title
- Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain
- Authors
- Mike Parker Pearson (Author) - University of Sheffield, United KingdomAndrew Chamberlain (Author) - University of Sheffield, United KingdomOliver Craig (Author) - Università di Roma, ItalyPeter Marshall (Author) - University of Sheffield, United KingdomJacqui Mulville (Author) - University of Cardiff, United KingdomHelen Smith (Author) - University of Bournemouth, United KingdomCarolyn Chenery (Author) - British Geological Society, United KingdomMatthew Collins (Author) - University of York, United KingdomGordon Cook (Author) - Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre, United KingdomGeoffrey Craig (Author) - University of Sheffield, United KingdomJane Evans (Author) - British Geological Society, United KingdomJennifer C Hiller (Author) - University of Cardiff, United KingdomJanet Montgomery (Author) - Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art, United KingdomJean-Luke Schwenninger (Author) - Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art, United KingdomGillian Taylor (Author) - University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United KingdomTim J Wess (Author) - University of Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Publication details
- Antiquity, Vol.79(305), pp.529-546
- Publisher
- Company of Biologists Ltd.
- Date published
- 2005
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0003598X00114486
- ISSN
- 0003-598X; 0003-598X
- Organisation Unit
- Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic); University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451475602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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