The Late Upper Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic evidence of burials in Europe

Abstract

Burials of the Late Palaeolithic (14 000–11 600 cal years before present, henceforth BP) are a rare phenomenon in Europe. Several sites possess burials of single and double individuals. As with the preceding Magdalenian, the burial of more than two individuals in the same grave cutting seems to be unusual, but does occur occasionally. The deposition of isolated and disarticulated human remains with or without cut marks seems additionally to belong to the Magdalenian context. In the final Palaeolithic phase (13 000–11 600 cal years BP) there is evidence for cemetery-like clusters of burials, which contrast to the Magdalenian evidence, instead showing some similarities with the succeeding Mesolithic. The earliest Mesolithic burials 11 600–10 500 cal BP) are a very rare phenomenon, covering a short time span between the beginning of the Preboreal and the beginning of the Boreal phase of the early Holocene. Here the evidence includes single inhumations, cemetery-like structures and a number of isolated human remains. Caves and rock shelters were the most common places for inhumations in both the final Palaeolithic and the early Mesolithic. Although the number of sites with a chronological continuity from the LUP to the Early Mesolithic burial is low, several aspects indicate a general continuity in burial patterns over this period. Apart from this continuity, the Mesolithic burials in general seem to represent a new level of diversity in burial practices.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead on the living in humans and other animals’.

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Research
Cite this article: Orschiedt J. 2018 The Late
Upper Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic
evidence of burials in Europe. Phil.
Trans. R. Soc. B 373: 20170264.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0264
Accepted: 12 March 2018
One contribution of 18 to a theme issue
‘Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead
on the living in humans and other animals’.
Subject Areas:
behaviour
Keywords:
Late Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic,
burial, Europe
Author for correspondence:
Jo
¨rg Orschiedt
e-mail: joerg.orschiedt@fu-berlin.de, joerg.
orschiedt@cez-archaeometrie.de
The Late Upper Palaeolithic and earliest
Mesolithic evidence of burials in Europe
Jo
¨rg Orschiedt1,2
1
Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archa
¨ometrie gGmbH, D6, 3, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
2
Pra
¨historische Archa
¨ologie, Freie Universita
¨t Berlin, Fabeckstr. 23– 25, 14195 Berlin, Germany
JO, 0000-0003-3629-8251
Burials of the Late Palaeolithic (14 000– 11 600 cal years before present, hen-
ceforth BP) are a rare phenomenon in Europe. Several sites possess burials of
single and double individuals. As with the preceding Magdalenian, the
burial of more than two individuals in the same grave cutting seems to be
unusual, but does occur occasionally. The deposition of isolated and disar-
ticulated human remains with or without cut marks seems additionally
to belong to the Magdalenian context. In the final Palaeolithic phase
(13 000– 11 600 cal years BP) there is evidence for cemetery-like clusters of
burials, which contrast to the Magdalenian evidence, instead showing some
similarities with the succeeding Mesolithic. The earliest Mesolithic burials
11 600– 10 500 cal BP) are a very rare phenomenon, covering a short time
span between the beginning of the Preboreal and the beginning of the
Boreal phase of the early Holocene. Here the evidence includes single inhuma-
tions, cemetery-like structures and a number of isolated human remains.
Caves and rock shelters were the most common places for inhumations in
both the final Palaeolithic and the early Mesolithic. Although the number of
sites with a chronological continuity from the LUP to the Early Mesolithic
burial is low, several aspects indicate a general continuity in burial patterns
over this period. Apart from this continuity, the Mesolithic burials in general
seem to represent a new level of diversity in burial practices.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolutionary thanatology: impacts
of the dead on the living in humans and other animals’.
1. Introduction
The Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) begins with the late Magdalenian around
14 000 calibrated years before present (cal BP) and ends with Dryas III and the last
glacial at the Pleistocene –Holocene boundary around 11 600 cal BP. Regardless of
a transitional phase, the earliest Mesolithic starts with the beginning of the Prebor-
eal and continues to the Boreal around 11 000 BP. There are a number of uncertain
burials that probably belong to this period but which have not been directly dated
by AMS radiocarbon, and hence which have been omitted from this review,
which focuses on primary and secondary burials which are relatively well under-
stood. Isolated human remains might additionally represent the very end of a
complex ritual treatment of the deceased, and this ‘loose human bone phenom-
enon’ has recently been brought to the fore in a study of the Mesolithic of
North Western Europe [1].
2. Late Palaeolithic burials
At the end of the Magdalenian around 14 000 cal BP, the number of burials in the
sense of single inhumations varies dramatically region to region [2,3]. In Central
Europe the number is extremely low, with Bonn-Oberkassel being the only secure
example. In Western Europe, mainly in France, several single inhumations and a
possible further multiple burial are attested for the post-Magdalenian Azilian
technocomplex. In Spain only one—and possibly a second now lost—burial is
attributable to the Azilian. On the Italian peninsula, however, the data on late
&2018 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.