Talking Dead. New burials from Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia) inform on the evolution of mortuary practices from the terminal Pleistocene to the Holocene in Southeast Asia

PLoS One. 2022 Aug 24;17(8):e0267635. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267635. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Burial elaborations are a human behaviour that, in recent contexts can inform on social diversification, belief systems, and the introduction of new practices resulting from migration or cultural transmission. The study of mortuary practices in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia has revealed complex and diverse treatments of the deceased. This paper contributes to this topic with the description of three new burials excavated in Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia) dated to 7.5, 10, and 12 kya cal BP. In addition to the bioskeletal profiles and palaeohealth observations, we propose the adoption of archaeothanatological methods to characterise burial types in the region. Through the analysis of skeletal element representation, body position, articulation, and grave associations, we provide an example of a holistic approach to mortuary treatments in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Our results provide significant new data for understanding the evolution and diversification of burial practices in Southeast Asia, contributing to a growing body of literature describing prehistoric socio-cultural behaviour in this region.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Archaeology* / methods
  • Burial / methods
  • Humans
  • Indonesia
  • Morgue
  • Mortuary Practice*

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung through a Research Scholarship (AZ/14/F/20) to SSC. The fieldwork for this project was funded by the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship (FL120100156) to SO and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CE170100015) to SO and CS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.