Entanglement in Death: A multi-method approach to the investigation of multiple mortuary deposits from Roman-Byzantine Ibida, Romania and Medieval Leicester, England

Multiple mortuary deposits offer a unique opportunity to investigate a spectrum of mortuary behaviours, ranging from performative rituals to practical responses to mortality crises. This thesis introduces the chaîne opératoire mortuaire framework, a transparent and systematic approach to synthesising multi-method (osteology, isotopic analysis, and archaeothanatology) datasets for holistic interpretations of these complex deposits.

Two case studies are explored. The first case study examines a secondary deposit of commingled human remains (deposit M141) at the Roman-Byzantine (1st- 7th century) site of Ibida (Romania). Analysis revealed a minimum of 37 individuals in the deposit (males, females, and non-adults), with limited trauma, variable dietary practices (δ13C, δ15N), and a few non-local (δ34S) individuals. The interpretation of deposit M141 is revised from representing a ‘massacre of outsiders’ to a secondary deposit, resulting from cemetery clearances and redevelopment at least 100 years after death.
The second study examines 39 multiple burials (3+ individuals) from the early to high medieval period (11th-13th century) at the Waterside cemetery (Leicester, UK). The multiple burials are characterised by the simultaneous deposition of many individuals in a single pit. It is determined that this is a practical response to repeated episodes of mass mortality, likely related to disease. Isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) and osteological analyses suggest that the population was a lower-status community consuming a typical medieval diet, and that females, non-adults, and those in poorer health were selectively affected.

The use of the chaîne opératoire mortuaire model presents all of the considered data in a systematic and transparent manner, allowing for the integration of new datasets, revision and re-interpretation. The model provides insight into who is represented in the deposit and provides a clearer picture of post-mortem sequences. The successful application to geographically, chronologically, and contextually distinct deposits demonstrates the ubiquitous applicability of the model to the study of multiple mortuary deposits.