Treatment of the Dead: A Reinterpretation of Neolithic Plastered Skulls

[fr]

– Jeudi 14 décembre 2017 de 16h à 18h
Conférence et vidéo conférence de Karina Croucher, Université de Bradford
_ Sur place au CNRS d’Ivry sur Seine, 27 rue Paul Bert, métro Porte de Choisy/Porte d’Ivry, salle C en sous-sol
ou à distance par vidéo-conférence
[en]
– Thursday, December 14, 2017 4 p.m.-6 p.m.(Paris time)
A lecture by Karina Croucher, Bradford University
CNRS building, 27 rue Paul Bert, Porte de Choisy/Porte d’Ivry subway station, room C in the basement or by distance through video-conference


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[fr]
Cette conférence est la 14e séance mensuelle du séminaire interdisciplinaire :
“The Individual and his Body in the Ancient Mediterranean Basin” organisé par Alice Mouton.

Résumé : This paper will present alternative interpretations of the plastered skulls from the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Near East). Some individuals were buried beneath the floors of households and their skulls or crania later retrieved. A face was then constructed on to some of the skulls, using mud, lime or gypsum plaster. The plastered skulls are traditionally viewed as evidence of ancestor veneration, elite status, or as tools for social cohesions. This paper takes a new perspective, asking whether theories of grief and bereavement can aid our interpretations, inspired by recent research between archaeology and end-of-life care.