Grave orientation and body positioning in ancient and modern burials

¶ … FUNERAL RITES SIMLAR TO AND DIFFERENT FROM THOSE SEEN IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES?

The objective of this study is to examine how contemporary funeral rites are similar to and different from those viewed in archaeological sites. Toward this end a literature review in this area of inquiry will be conducted.

Shape and Depth of the Grave

According to Pearson (1999) the "shape and depth of a grave may relate to the social status or gender of the person buried. It may also reflect the degree of formality in the burial rite." (p.7) In addition, the hole that is dug for the grave "may serve not just as a repository for the corpse, but its shape and dimensions may be constructed so that it echoes other contexts." (Pearson, 1999, p. 7) Pearson additionally reports that there are many examples of graves that are similar to "houses or storage pits." (1999, p. 7) For example, Pearson (1999) reports that in Togo and Benin, the Batammaliba graves "are constructed as underground miniature houses of the dead." (p. 7) The household heads of these graves are reported to be sealed with a flat stone that is round and called the 'kubotan'. In actual everyday life the kubotan is utilized as a seal between the hole linking the ground and first floor in the house. Both funeral and birthing rites are reported to occur "underneath this tabote hole, which embodies the house's life force and the continuum between birth, death and rebirth." (Pearson, 1999, p. 7)

II. Orientation of the Grave

It is reported that the grave's orientation, "its occupant and tomb structures built over the grave may all be significant." (Pearson, 1999, p. 8) This is similar to contemporary funeral and burial rites in that a Christian burial calls for the deceased to be buried six feet deep and the majority of graves are marked by concrete headstones and footstones that differ in shape and type depending upon what the family of the deceased chooses as the type to place on the deceased family member's grave. Pearson (1999) reports that the orientation of graves "…is an important feature for those world religions in which burial is the main rite. Moslem burials are aligned so that the body is laid facing Mecca and the Qibla." (p. 8) Christian burials involve the bodies being "laid west-east with their heads toward the west so that they may arise on the Day of Judgment to face God in the east." (p. 8) The pagan religions of post-Roman England and Viking Scandinavia conducted burials "orientated broadly east-west or north-south copying the two orientations for the longhouse dwellings of those periods." (Pearson, 1999, p. 8)

III. Arrangement of the Body

There are various positions in which the deceased person's body is situated and this includes "prone on its back, lying on one side, lying face down or even sitting up or standing." (Pearson, 1999, p. 9) Pearson states that "slight differences" are noted in the placement of arms and legs in understanding the "differences between groups within the same cemetery." (1999, p. 9) Cremation is reported as the "practice of burning a corpse on a pyre" stated to only leave archaeological records when the burnt bone fragments are buried following the cremation ceremony. (Pearson, 1999, p. 10)

Summary and Conclusion

The burial practices noted in archaeological findings are varied from culture to culture just as today's contemporary burial practices experience variation between one culture and another different culture. While similarities exist between some ancient burial customs and contemporary burial customs, the truth is that the culture of the deceased individual greatly determines the burial rites and customs that are practiced at the time of the individual's death. Patterns that can be noted in burial customs are such as the belief that the soul rises to its next destination and while there is some disagreement about the direction that the soul takes in its final journey, or whether the soul heads toward the north, south, east or west, the belief that the soul does take a final journey runs throughout the history of burial customs in all cultures throughout the globe.