“Coffins ”, Wood and the Status of the People Buried

Human burials from archaeological contexts have often been analysed and described. Few of these analyses have dealt with the style of the grave and the identification of the wood utilised in the “coffin ” construction. This paper describes such an analysis, the primary object of which is to develop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of archaeological science 1996-03, Vol.23 (2), p.279-282
Main Author: February, Ed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
COFFIN
Cults, religions and funeral rites
Ethnology and art
Generalities
GRAVE CONSTRUCTION
HUMAN BURIAL
Methodology and general studies
Prehistory and protohistory
SOUTH AFRICA
Southern and East Africa
WOOD IDENTIFICATION
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Description
Summary:Human burials from archaeological contexts have often been analysed and described. Few of these analyses have dealt with the style of the grave and the identification of the wood utilised in the “coffin ” construction. This paper describes such an analysis, the primary object of which is to develop a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the people buried in a cemetery outside the town of Vredendal in South Africa. An absence of regular coffins for adults, the use of fruit boxes, a drawer and barrel staves and the use of pine in coffin construction indicate that these people were probably farm labourers living in poor circumstances at the turn of the century.
ISSN:0305-4403
1095-9238
DOI:10.1006/jasc.1996.0025