3.4 Ritual Practice, Symbolism, and Folklore
According to Bell (1992, p. 92), "people engage in ritualization as a practical way of dealing with some specific circumstances". When it comes to death, not only is there a corpse to attend to, but also the emotional implications of mortality which arise because of the death. That is when ritual comes into play. In the presence of death, ritual becomes action which brings structure and meaning to existence (Nilsson Stutz 2003, p. 56). Therefore, ritual gives meaning to life.
However, understanding the ritualistic meaning of archaeological evidence is very challenging for archaeologists. The mortuary practices – i.e. the types of deviant burial – may provide the greatest insight for archaeologists. …show more content…
Furthermore, the manner of decapitation is also remarkable, as those at Driffield Terrace were carried out from behind and at about the time of death. In the rest of Roman Britain, the prevalence of decapitations is about 5% (mostly in rural contexts), usually from the front and probably some time after death. In many cases the decapitations were achieved with a single blow, but more than one cut was involved in a number of cases, 11 in one case. However, the complete removal of the head was not always the primary aim, as in some instances the cut was not complete and the head apparently remained attached to the body (Hunter-Mann 2015, p. …show more content…
It is argued the most common reason for decapitation is execution (Taylor 2008; Reynolds 2009). Anglo-Saxons, for example, have a long tradition of using decapitation as execution, and can be seen in their burial rites (Reynolds 2009). Taylor (2008, p. 95) suggests decapitations may be a form of punishment after death through mutilation. However, it is not clear as to what the purpose of the decapitations was at Driffield
According to Bell (1992, p. 92), "people engage in ritualization as a practical way of dealing with some specific circumstances". When it comes to death, not only is there a corpse to attend to, but also the emotional implications of mortality which arise because of the death. That is when ritual comes into play. In the presence of death, ritual becomes action which brings structure and meaning to existence (Nilsson Stutz 2003, p. 56). Therefore, ritual gives meaning to life.
However, understanding the ritualistic meaning of archaeological evidence is very challenging for archaeologists. The mortuary practices – i.e. the types of deviant burial – may provide the greatest insight for archaeologists. …show more content…
Furthermore, the manner of decapitation is also remarkable, as those at Driffield Terrace were carried out from behind and at about the time of death. In the rest of Roman Britain, the prevalence of decapitations is about 5% (mostly in rural contexts), usually from the front and probably some time after death. In many cases the decapitations were achieved with a single blow, but more than one cut was involved in a number of cases, 11 in one case. However, the complete removal of the head was not always the primary aim, as in some instances the cut was not complete and the head apparently remained attached to the body (Hunter-Mann 2015, p. …show more content…
It is argued the most common reason for decapitation is execution (Taylor 2008; Reynolds 2009). Anglo-Saxons, for example, have a long tradition of using decapitation as execution, and can be seen in their burial rites (Reynolds 2009). Taylor (2008, p. 95) suggests decapitations may be a form of punishment after death through mutilation. However, it is not clear as to what the purpose of the decapitations was at Driffield