This edited volume contains twelve papers that present evidence on non-normative burial practices from the Neolithic through to Post-Medieval periods and includes case studies from some ten countries. It has long been recognised by archaeologists that certain individuals in a variety of archaeological cultures from diverse periods and locations have been accorded differential treatment in burial relative to other members of their society. These individuals can include criminals, women who died during childbirth, unbaptised infants, people with disabilities, and supposed revenants, to name but a few. Such burials can be identifiable in the archaeological record from an examination of the location and external characteristics of the grave site. Furthermore, the position of the body in addition to its association with unusual grave goods can be a further feature of atypical burials. The motivation behind such non-normative burial practices is also diverse and can be related to a wide variety of social and religious beliefs. It is envisaged that the volume will make a significant contribution towards our understanding of the complexities involved when dealing with non-normative burials in the archaeological record.

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Unusual Burials and Necrophobia: An Insight into the Burial Archaeology of Fear
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Pathology and Deviancy
  • The ‘Special Dead’
  • Harmful Entities: Ghosts, Demons and the Undead
  • Case Studies
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 2. What Actually is a ‘Deviant Burial’? Comparing German-Language and Anglophone Research on ‘Deviant Burials’
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • German-language Research on ‘Deviant Burial’ Rites
  • Anglophone Research on ‘Deviant Burials’
  • Comparing Anglophone and German-language Research on ‘Deviant Burials’
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 3. Odd One Out? Earlier Neolithic Deposition of Human Remains in Caves and Rock Shelters in the Yorkshire Dales
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Sites
  • Previous Interpretation of the Human Remains
  • Earlier Neolithic Treatment of the Dead
  • Human Skeletal Evidence
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 4. The Value of Palaeoteratology and Forensic Pathology for the Understanding of Atypical Burials: Two Mediterranean Examples from the Field
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Case 1: Trisomic Girl from the Late Bronze Age in Rome
  • Historical Background for Case 1
  • Case 2: Two Dead in a Cistern
  • Historical Background for Case 2
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
• 5. Ritual Inhumations and ‘Deposits’ of Children among the Geto-Dacians
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Analysis of the Findings
  • Hunedoara
  • Possible Interpretations
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 6. Aspects of Deviant Burial in Roman Britain
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Human Sacrifice
  • Infanticide
  • Mutilation after Death
  • Witchcraft and the Fear of Ghosts
  • Execution
  • Forms of Deviant Burial
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 7. Normal, Deviant and Atypical: Burial Variation in Late Saxon Wessex, c. AD 700–1100
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Development of Churchyard Burial in Early Medieval Wessex
  • Deviant Burials in Wessex: The Execution Cemeteries
  • Atypical Burial: Isolated Burial in Late Saxon Wessex
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
• 8. Charcoal Burial: A Minority Burial Rite in Early Medieval Europe
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Charcoal Burial
  • Interpretation of Charcoal Burial
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 9. Off With Their Heads: The Anglo-Saxon Execution Cemetery at Walkington Wold, East Yorkshire
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Walkington Wold
  • Osteology
  • Summary of Demographic Data
  • Discussion
  • Notes
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 10. Unusual Life, Unusual Death and the Fate of the Corpse: A Case Study from Dynastic Europe
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Sample
  • Results
  • Final Remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 11. The Origins of Cilliní in Ireland
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Historical Evidence and Regional Surveys: An Overview
  • Excavated Cilliní, 1966 to 2004: The Dating Evidence
  • History and Theology
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 12. Grief, Grievance and Grandeur: An Eighteenth-Century Mausoleum in Mainham, Co. Kildare
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Mausoleum
  • The Sculpture
  • Clane
  • Donadea
  • What is a Mausoleum?
  • Chapels, Chantries and ‘Chancers’
  • Two Angry Men
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References