Clamber of the dead: material ontology and cosmological affect within the hunter-gatherer mortuary traditions of the Eastern Baltic 4000-3000 cal. BC

Figures & data

Table 1. Instances of burials featuring “death masks” in the Eastern Baltic, as identified by previous authors. C = cemetery site; CaS = Cemetery at settlement site; GaS = Grave at settlement site

	Site	Site type	Burial	Individuals in grave	Materials around head
					Clay	Ochre	Amber
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	206	4	Y	N	Y
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	225	5	Y	Y	Y
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	263	3	Y	N	Y
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	275	5	Y	N	Y
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	276	5	Y	N	N
Latvia	Zvejnieki	C	317	2	Y	Y	Y
Finland	Kolmhaara	C	1	1	Y	N	Y
Finland	Harikka	C	3	?	Y	N	Y
Finland	Harikka	C	7	?	Y	N	N
Finland	Pispa	CaS	X	?	Y	Y	Y
Finland	Vaarteranta	CaS	3	1	Y	N	N
Finland	Vaarteranta	CaS	9a	2	Y	N	N
Finland	Vaarteranta	CaS	9b	2	Y	N	N
Finland	Kangasa	CaS	3	3	N	N	Y
Finland	Kanava	GaS	1&2	4	N	N	Y

Table 2. C14 dates from burials featuring “death masks”. The Zvejnieki dates have been corrected for the carbon reservoir effect, following Meadows et al. 2018

Site	Burial	Radiocarbon measurement	Calibrated date (BC)
Kolmhaara	1	4992 ± 60	3946–3650
Vaateranta	9a	4835 ± 80	3788–3376
Zvejnieki	206	5285 ± 50	3512–3207
Zvejnieki	225	5110 ± 45	3312–3003
Zvejnieki	277	5545 ± 65	3821–3463
Zvejnieki	317	5105 ± 50	3316–2988

Figure 1. Probability distribution plot of radiocarbon dates from 4th millennium cal BC clay masked burials. Shaded area shows the modelled extent of the Typical Comb Ware period in Finland, after Pesonen & Oinonen (2019)

Figure 2. Schematic representation of the ontological role of clamber death masks

Figure 3. Plan illustration of Zvejnieki burials 316/317

Figure 4. In-situ cranium of Zvejnieki 317

Figure 5. Tightly constricted foot bones of Zvejnieki 317

Figure 6. Heat scorched stone behind the sacrum of Zvejnieki 317

Figure 7. Intrusive stone grave marker for Zvejnieki burials 316/317

Meadows, J., V. Bērziņš, D. Legzdiņa, H. Lübke, U. Schmölcke, I. Zagorska, and G. Zariņa. 2018. “Stone-Age Subsistence Strategies at Lake Burtnieks, Latvia.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 17: 992–1006.

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Pesonen, P., and M. Oinonen. 2019. “The Chronology of Jäkärlä Ware: Bayesian Interpretation of the Old and New Radiocarbon Dates from Early and Middle Neolithic Southwest Finland.” Documenta Praehistorica XLVI: 246–267. doi:https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.46.15.

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