Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta: bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum, Gozo.

Caroline Malone; Rowan McLaughlin; Robert Barratt; Ronika Power; Bernardette Mercieca Spiteri; Eoin  W  Parkinson

doi:10.1080/00438243.2019.1745680

Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta: bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum, Gozo.

Caroline Malone, Rowan McLaughlin, Robert Barratt, Ronika Power, Bernardette Mercieca Spiteri, Eoin W Parkinson

School of Natural and Built Environment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

175 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper integrates the results of recent bioarchaeological and spatial analyses at one of the largest collective burial sites in Europe, the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum on Gozo. This suite of new approaches has addressed demography, funerary practices, interactions with the dead, and the changing use of space. Modelling structural events and reconstructing funerary practices from 2900 to 2350 cal BC, we trace persistent variation and flexibility in the use of space over time. Taphonomic analysis shows that young individuals (from foetal age and above) were included within the burial space, and their depositions occasionally informed subsequent interments. Such results resonate beyond this site and enhance our understanding of society in third millennium BC Malta. We advance a model of broad accessibility to the burial space, strengthening emerging narratives of heterarchical social dynamics in the Maltese islands.

Original language	English
Journal	World Archaeology
Early online date	28 Apr 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2019.1745680
Publication status	Early online date - 28 Apr 2020

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10.1080/00438243.2019.1745680Licence: CC BY

Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xag ra Circle Hypogeum Gozo
Copyright 2020 the authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the author and source are cited.
Final published version, 3.03 MBLicence: CC BY

Replaying the past: Establishing a 3D simulation methodology for the analysis of roofing and alignments in Neolithic Malta
Barratt, R. (Author), Malone, C. (Supervisor) & Megarry, W. (Supervisor), Jul 2021
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy

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5 Citations
1 Book
1 Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Temple Landscapes: Fragility, change and resilience of Holocene environments in the Maltese Islands.
Malone, C., Stoddart, S., McLaughlin, R., Hunt, C., French, C. & Grima, R., 05 Nov 2020, Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. 569 p. (Fragsus Project Monographs; vol. 1)
Research output: Book/Report › Book

Open Access
Hypogea and the clubhouse: Neolithic Malta's houses of the living and the dead.
Malone, C., McLaughlin, R., Barratt, R. & Parkinson, E. W., 2019, Houses of the dead?: Neolithic Studies Group Seminar papers 17. Barclay, A., Field, D. & Leary, J. (eds.). Oxford: Oxbow, Vol. 17. p. 15-37 23 p. (Neolithic Studies Group Seminar Papers).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Cite this

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title = "Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta: bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum, Gozo.",

abstract = "This paper integrates the results of recent bioarchaeological and spatial analyses at one of the largest collective burial sites in Europe, the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum on Gozo. This suite of new approaches has addressed demography, funerary practices, interactions with the dead, and the changing use of space. Modelling structural events and reconstructing funerary practices from 2900 to 2350 cal BC, we trace persistent variation and flexibility in the use of space over time. Taphonomic analysis shows that young individuals (from foetal age and above) were included within the burial space, and their depositions occasionally informed subsequent interments. Such results resonate beyond this site and enhance our understanding of society in third millennium BC Malta. We advance a model of broad accessibility to the burial space, strengthening emerging narratives of heterarchical social dynamics in the Maltese islands.",

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Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta: bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum, Gozo.

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Student theses

Replaying the past: Establishing a 3D simulation methodology for the analysis of roofing and alignments in Neolithic Malta

Research output

Temple Landscapes: Fragility, change and resilience of Holocene environments in the Maltese Islands.

Hypogea and the clubhouse: Neolithic Malta's houses of the living and the dead.

Cite this