Time in the reproduction of mortuary practices

Abstract

This paper argues that the archaeologist can interpret the way time was marked through human practices and manipulated in the reproduction of relations of dominance. It is argued that this task can be accomplished by moving interpretative/analytical emphasis away from the examination of static patterns, and interpreting the way those variables were mobilized as symbolic resources in the production and maintenance of social structures. These points are discussed through the study of the mortuary practices of Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age East Yorkshire, England.