Thesis Chapters by Jess Thompson
This research addresses the body and personhood in late Neolithic Malta (c. 3600–2300 cal BC) by ... more This research addresses the body and personhood in late Neolithic Malta (c. 3600–2300 cal BC) by reconstructing funerary practices at two collective burial sites: the Xemxija Tombs (Malta) and Xagħra Circle (Gozo). The range and sequence of funerary practices are identified through implementing taphonomic analysis to classify the condition and modification of bone and explore dominant trends in depositional practice. Although the extensive disarticulation and fragmentation of remains has received considerable attention, the timing of post-mortem interactions has been largely overlooked. Yet, the temporality of mortuary practices is crucial for understanding the social dimension of the process of death and dying, revealing how the identity of the dead is transformed. This work further explores how mortuary rites responded to understandings of the body held during life. To do so, the treatment of the dead body is placed in its social context, integrating burial treatment, bioarchaeological evidence and material culture—particularly the corpus of anthropomorphic figurines—to provide a new interpretation of personhood in late Neolithic Malta. Analysing the full assemblage of human remains from six rock-cut tombs at Xemxija, and between 9.3–100% of the assemblage from 16 contexts at the Xagħra Circle, this research finds a predominant practice of primary interment and subsequent disarticulation in most burial spaces. Disarticulation typically focussed on the selective removal of crania and long bones, and long bones are demonstrated to have been removed from the Xemxija Tombs. Careful analysis shows this was an extended process, in which the memory of the dead was maintained over several generations and social death was prolonged. Significantly, this practice was inclusive of individuals from foetal to old adult in age and was not biased according to sex. Aligning the life-course with the death-course, a pervasive interest in modifying the body is evident. The fragmentation of dead bodies and figurines indicates bodily partibility enacted across multiple media. These new results reveal corporeal practices which extended from life into interactions with the dead. However, in all contexts, the body is figured and constructed in diverse ways, revealing that personhood was founded on difference. Altogether, bodies are shown to be complex and multiple entities in both life and death, and the integration of bodies in their varied forms was significant. This research offers new insights into the ‘body worlds’ of Neolithic Malta which has implications for understanding socio-political dynamics. This thesis demonstrates the significance of a holistic analysis of bodies and personhood in the past.
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Papers by Jess Thompson
PAST, 2022
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This article seeks to follow the social implications of death in the context of prehistoric Malta... more This article seeks to follow the social implications of death in the context of prehistoric Malta, more specifically the Tarxien phase of the Late Neolithic (c. 2900 2350 BC), addressing questions posed by the original conference such as the following; how many individuals were buried together, their spatial context and the timing of their deposition. In addition, the article will seek to investigate how the dead were treated, who were buried and why they were buried together. As a guide to this intent, selective ethnographies will be deployed, bringing into play the evidence of the Younge site from Michigan in the light of ethnographic accounts of the Feast of the Dead which are reported elsewhere in this volume. The present work is a product of a broadly Anglo-Saxon perspective, although conscious of the methodological approaches of the anthropologie de terrain (Duday 1978; 2009), most closely followed by one of us (Thompson). The article will also include some self-reflexive ethnography, as the important deposit of the Brochtorff Xagħra Circle on the island of Gozo undergoes new interrogation some twenty years after its original excavation.
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
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World Archaeology, 2020
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
Objectives: Palaeopathological analysis is key for characterising population health at the indivi... more Objectives: Palaeopathological analysis is key for characterising population health at the individual level and across large assemblages but is rarely exploited to unite the remains of disarticulated individuals. This study explores the potential for individual identification through differential diagnosis of periosteal lesions in a commingled deposit, both to
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World Archaeology, 2020
This paper integrates the results of recent bioarchaeological and spatial analyses at one of the ... more 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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Archaeologia Cambrensis, 2019
Tinkinswood chambered Neolithic tomb in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was originally excavated in... more Tinkinswood chambered Neolithic tomb in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was originally excavated in 1914 and the human remains found within were analysed by the renowned anatomist Sir Arthur Keith. Further excavation has recently been carried out in the surrounding landscape and the monument itself has been the focus of community archaeology and outreach projects. These works attest to the continued archaeological importance of the site in its local area, yet the results of Keith’s work remain cited a century later. Considering the recent initiative to re-analyse many Neolithic skeletal assemblages, this study presents the results of a new taphonomic assessment of the human skeletal material, significantly revising earlier interpretations. The estimated minimum number of individuals (MNI) represented in the
assemblage is reduced, more closely corresponding with recent results obtained at other contemporary monuments. Analysis of post-depositional modification suggests remains were not manipulated during the perimortem interval. The relative representation of skeletal elements indicates that selected long bones were removed from the tomb, revealing a complex and prolonged process of engaging with the dead.
*Please get in touch if you would like to read a copy of this paper.
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Taphonomic modifications to Neolithic human skeletal remains from six rock-cut tombs in Malta has... more Taphonomic modifications to Neolithic human skeletal remains from six rock-cut tombs in Malta has provided key information about funerary practices and the local environment. Application of microscopic analysis, computed tomography (CT) scanning, and 3D imaging of the modifications has allowed their comparison with similar examples in modern and archaeological skeletal material. The modifications are interpreted as pupal chambers and feeding damage by dermestid beetles. Based on observation of the behaviour and ecology of dermestid beetles, we suggest several scenarios for funerary practices at the Xemxija tombs which nuance our current understanding of collective burial during the late Neolithic in Malta.
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Conference Presentations by Jess Thompson
The period from the 4th to 3rd millennium BC in the Maltese islands witnesses elaboration in arch... more The period from the 4th to 3rd millennium BC in the Maltese islands witnesses elaboration in architecture, craft and – importantly for us – burial ritual. Elsewhere in Europe, the late Neolithic to Chalcolithic transition was characterised by a rise in single burial. On the islands of Malta and Gozo, however, the scale of collective burial continued to expand. Most burial sites from this period were excavated in the 20th Century; the resulting short excavation reports often included only a brief description of the human remains. Rock-cut tombs and caves were usually discovered to contain the highly disturbed and rearranged remains of small numbers of individuals.
To these general impressions of the burial programme, we can now add the results of detailed taphonomic analysis of the skeletal remains from two sites: The Xagħra Circle hypogeum and Xemxija tombs. The remains from the Xemxija tombs were recently discovered to be curated at UCL, and the complete assemblage of almost 15,000 fragments of human bone have been analysed. On the basis of pottery typology, these tombs could have been in use up to 500 years before the main phase of deposition at the Xagħra Circle hypogeum. Within the hypogeum, the remains of hundreds of individuals were subjected to a varied and protracted cycle of intervention. The long and intense use of the site resulted in a highly commingled and mixed deposit, displaying various levels of disarticulation. Taphonomic results so far reveal the choice of different burial environments and, in particular, a changing treatment and engagement with the remains of the dead during this 1000 year cultural peak in Malta’s (pre)history.
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The dense deposits of largely disarticulated and commingled human bone from the Xagħra Circle hyp... more The dense deposits of largely disarticulated and commingled human bone from the Xagħra Circle hypogeum on Gozo, Malta provide a rich case study from which the process of death, and interactions with the dead, can be visualised. The hypogeum and nearby rock-cut tomb, both contained by a surrounding stone circle, held the remains of between 700-900 individuals, deposited from c. 4300-2300 cal BC. Preliminary analyses have shown that in most cases primary inhumation gave way to prolonged periods of engagement with the materials of the dead body, resulting in patterned deposits of rearranged skeletal remains. These episodes of activity are now being investigated through both taphonomic and spatial analyses. The excavation plans from the Circle have been digitised (by Dr. S. Boyle, Dr. R. McLaughlin, E. Parkinson and J. Thompson) in ArcGIS, providing means to study the spatial distribution of the remains, in relation to features such as skeletal element, age, sex, pathology, and taphonomy. This paper will investigate the alignment of ArcGIS with taphonomy, through a detailed examination of 1m 2 of burial deposit on the edge of a single, large context (783). Within this 1m 2 area, more than half of the 3,611 analysed fragments range in age from foetal to adolescent. The high percentage of nonadult remains allow us to theorise the intersection of personhood with age and burial modes, through detailed visual and contextual analysis.
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The 4th to 3rd millennia BC witnesses widespread change in burial practices across Europe. These ... more The 4th to 3rd millennia BC witnesses widespread change in burial practices across Europe. These developments are often simplified as a move from collective to individual burial. Common interpretations of the evidence suggest a landmark shift in ideology, signifying the evolution of hierarchical society. Focussing on the Central Mediterranean, the evidence from the Maltese islands will be examined within the broader context of mainland Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. From a widespread early Neolithic tradition characterised by a close association between occupation sites and burials, diverse changes emerge on both a regional and local scale during the late Neolithic. Inequality seems to develop on mainland Italy and Sicily, with ‘warrior’ grave good sets accompanying male inhumations. These individuals stand out from a background of continued diverse modes of burial, which suggest a more complex social situation. In contrast, collective burial intensifies on Malta and Gozo, with only a few sites in use for a long duration. Do these diverse practices represent alternative responses to similar forms of social organisation? Drawing on the interpretations of the Mediterranean evidence, this paper will ask how – and whether – we can understand social change through the development of burial traditions over two thousand years.
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Tinkinswood chambered tomb, an earlier Neolithic burial monument located in Glamorgan, has not be... more Tinkinswood chambered tomb, an earlier Neolithic burial monument located in Glamorgan, has not been thoroughly reanalysed since its excavation in 1914. Keith’s (1916) assessment of the human remains estimated the burial of 50 individuals within the chamber. Recent work acknowledges that higher numbers of burials were made in transepted chambered tombs, for example with 36 individuals at West Kennet, relative to single chamber tombs. The high MNI for Tinkinswood is therefore unlikely considering the small, single chamber. As such, reanalysis of the human remains is timely and important.
The assemblage is highly fragmented and commingled, with no complete individuals preserved and many fragile elements unexcavated. No evidence was found for cutmarks or canid gnawing, suggesting that most burials were complete inhumations. Taphonomic analysis reveals that most breaks occurred on dry bone, implying time lapses between successive burials and the disturbance of older remains. Importantly, the MNI can be revised to about 20 individuals with evidence for 10 adults, at least 8 sub-adults and up to 2 cremations.
The long-held interpretation for an expression of corporate identity in single chambered tombs has hinged on the nature of deposits as disarticulated (Thomas, 1999: 150). Considering the lack of evidence for anthropogenic breaking down of corpses prior to burial at Tinkinswood it seems likely that individuals were maintained in death. Furthermore, whilst we cannot fully assess the evidence for the rearrangement of skeletons, the indication for removal of bones is low. This paper summarises the recent analysis within a theoretical funerary framework.
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Excavated in 1914, Tinkinswood (otherwise known as St. Nicholas) is a Cotswold-Severn tomb, locat... more Excavated in 1914, Tinkinswood (otherwise known as St. Nicholas) is a Cotswold-Severn tomb, located in the Vale of Glamorgan. The assemblage from Tinkinswood today comprises over 900 disarticulated and incomplete fragments of human bones and teeth, alongside several hundred animal bone fragments and a small number of artefacts spanning the Neolithic to Medieval periods. An analysis of this collection has not been published since the initial excavation report (Keith, 1916; Ward, 1915, 1916) almost 100 years on, is it possible to say anything new about the dead who were buried there?
Whilst it has traditionally been held that there is a lack of concern for individual integrity in single chambered tombs (Shanks & Tilley, 1982; Thomas, 1988), taphonomic analysis has demonstrated that most bodies were deposited whole at Tinkinswood. Successive deposits have fragmented the underlying bodies and skeletons, resulting in the loss of the original depositional layout. Working specifically with Bennett’s (2010) concept of assemblage, the processes of bone diagenesis and disarticulation, involving hundreds of species of living micro-organisms, will be understood as key entities in this assemblage. These acts are responsible for the transformation of articulated and individual Neolithic bodies to disarticulated and fragmented ‘human remains’, no doubt resulting in changing affects and meanings of the dead, as bones were handled and removed over time. The importance of the tomb context and subsequent artefact depositions will be considered in relation to this. We may understand Tinkinswood as comprising relationships between the living community, the newly dead, and decaying bodies and skeletons affected by this lively matter.
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Call for Papers by Jess Thompson
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Conferences Organised by Jess Thompson
The Division of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge is pleased to host the Cambridge Annua... more The Division of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge is pleased to host the Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference. This year's conference theme, "learning through archaeology", invites undergraduate and postgraduate students alike to share their research into the past, in order to encourage an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the study of archaeology and cultural heritage.
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Thesis Chapters by Jess Thompson
Papers by Jess Thompson
assemblage is reduced, more closely corresponding with recent results obtained at other contemporary monuments. Analysis of post-depositional modification suggests remains were not manipulated during the perimortem interval. The relative representation of skeletal elements indicates that selected long bones were removed from the tomb, revealing a complex and prolonged process of engaging with the dead.
*Please get in touch if you would like to read a copy of this paper.
Conference Presentations by Jess Thompson
To these general impressions of the burial programme, we can now add the results of detailed taphonomic analysis of the skeletal remains from two sites: The Xagħra Circle hypogeum and Xemxija tombs. The remains from the Xemxija tombs were recently discovered to be curated at UCL, and the complete assemblage of almost 15,000 fragments of human bone have been analysed. On the basis of pottery typology, these tombs could have been in use up to 500 years before the main phase of deposition at the Xagħra Circle hypogeum. Within the hypogeum, the remains of hundreds of individuals were subjected to a varied and protracted cycle of intervention. The long and intense use of the site resulted in a highly commingled and mixed deposit, displaying various levels of disarticulation. Taphonomic results so far reveal the choice of different burial environments and, in particular, a changing treatment and engagement with the remains of the dead during this 1000 year cultural peak in Malta’s (pre)history.
The assemblage is highly fragmented and commingled, with no complete individuals preserved and many fragile elements unexcavated. No evidence was found for cutmarks or canid gnawing, suggesting that most burials were complete inhumations. Taphonomic analysis reveals that most breaks occurred on dry bone, implying time lapses between successive burials and the disturbance of older remains. Importantly, the MNI can be revised to about 20 individuals with evidence for 10 adults, at least 8 sub-adults and up to 2 cremations.
The long-held interpretation for an expression of corporate identity in single chambered tombs has hinged on the nature of deposits as disarticulated (Thomas, 1999: 150). Considering the lack of evidence for anthropogenic breaking down of corpses prior to burial at Tinkinswood it seems likely that individuals were maintained in death. Furthermore, whilst we cannot fully assess the evidence for the rearrangement of skeletons, the indication for removal of bones is low. This paper summarises the recent analysis within a theoretical funerary framework.
Whilst it has traditionally been held that there is a lack of concern for individual integrity in single chambered tombs (Shanks & Tilley, 1982; Thomas, 1988), taphonomic analysis has demonstrated that most bodies were deposited whole at Tinkinswood. Successive deposits have fragmented the underlying bodies and skeletons, resulting in the loss of the original depositional layout. Working specifically with Bennett’s (2010) concept of assemblage, the processes of bone diagenesis and disarticulation, involving hundreds of species of living micro-organisms, will be understood as key entities in this assemblage. These acts are responsible for the transformation of articulated and individual Neolithic bodies to disarticulated and fragmented ‘human remains’, no doubt resulting in changing affects and meanings of the dead, as bones were handled and removed over time. The importance of the tomb context and subsequent artefact depositions will be considered in relation to this. We may understand Tinkinswood as comprising relationships between the living community, the newly dead, and decaying bodies and skeletons affected by this lively matter.
Call for Papers by Jess Thompson
Conferences Organised by Jess Thompson
assemblage is reduced, more closely corresponding with recent results obtained at other contemporary monuments. Analysis of post-depositional modification suggests remains were not manipulated during the perimortem interval. The relative representation of skeletal elements indicates that selected long bones were removed from the tomb, revealing a complex and prolonged process of engaging with the dead.
*Please get in touch if you would like to read a copy of this paper.
To these general impressions of the burial programme, we can now add the results of detailed taphonomic analysis of the skeletal remains from two sites: The Xagħra Circle hypogeum and Xemxija tombs. The remains from the Xemxija tombs were recently discovered to be curated at UCL, and the complete assemblage of almost 15,000 fragments of human bone have been analysed. On the basis of pottery typology, these tombs could have been in use up to 500 years before the main phase of deposition at the Xagħra Circle hypogeum. Within the hypogeum, the remains of hundreds of individuals were subjected to a varied and protracted cycle of intervention. The long and intense use of the site resulted in a highly commingled and mixed deposit, displaying various levels of disarticulation. Taphonomic results so far reveal the choice of different burial environments and, in particular, a changing treatment and engagement with the remains of the dead during this 1000 year cultural peak in Malta’s (pre)history.
The assemblage is highly fragmented and commingled, with no complete individuals preserved and many fragile elements unexcavated. No evidence was found for cutmarks or canid gnawing, suggesting that most burials were complete inhumations. Taphonomic analysis reveals that most breaks occurred on dry bone, implying time lapses between successive burials and the disturbance of older remains. Importantly, the MNI can be revised to about 20 individuals with evidence for 10 adults, at least 8 sub-adults and up to 2 cremations.
The long-held interpretation for an expression of corporate identity in single chambered tombs has hinged on the nature of deposits as disarticulated (Thomas, 1999: 150). Considering the lack of evidence for anthropogenic breaking down of corpses prior to burial at Tinkinswood it seems likely that individuals were maintained in death. Furthermore, whilst we cannot fully assess the evidence for the rearrangement of skeletons, the indication for removal of bones is low. This paper summarises the recent analysis within a theoretical funerary framework.
Whilst it has traditionally been held that there is a lack of concern for individual integrity in single chambered tombs (Shanks & Tilley, 1982; Thomas, 1988), taphonomic analysis has demonstrated that most bodies were deposited whole at Tinkinswood. Successive deposits have fragmented the underlying bodies and skeletons, resulting in the loss of the original depositional layout. Working specifically with Bennett’s (2010) concept of assemblage, the processes of bone diagenesis and disarticulation, involving hundreds of species of living micro-organisms, will be understood as key entities in this assemblage. These acts are responsible for the transformation of articulated and individual Neolithic bodies to disarticulated and fragmented ‘human remains’, no doubt resulting in changing affects and meanings of the dead, as bones were handled and removed over time. The importance of the tomb context and subsequent artefact depositions will be considered in relation to this. We may understand Tinkinswood as comprising relationships between the living community, the newly dead, and decaying bodies and skeletons affected by this lively matter.