Burials and funerary practices along the Euphrates Valley during the Early Bronze Age

• The main aim of this paper is to compare the cemetaries along the Syrian Middle Euphrtes from Karkemish to Abu Kamal and in the Djezirah hinterland. Besides a typology of the graves, the inventory of material culture in the graves such as pottery, metalurgical objects, weapons…etc these have a valuable role to understand the burial customs during the 3rd millennium BC (Early Bronze Age). The differentiation is documented in terms of relationship to the livings between those cemtaries close to a settlement along the river and others in the steppe areas (nomadic). Besides, a study on burials and burial customs allows to establish information about the social structure of the inhabitants, because mortuary practices reflect the social, religious and practical views of the societies of the third millennium B.C., it is not only concerns deposition of the deceased, but also the living who buried them. Tha gathered data includes the brial sites along the Euphrates Valley in the Syrian territory as well as the adjantes areas to the river’s course. The excavations and surveys have been conducted by different expeditions: Syrian, German, Japanese, North American and Spanish, or joint missions. Generally, most of these tombs were already looted. The cemeteries and necropolises in question are situated on both banks of the river.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Keywords: burial

funerary practices

Euphrates Valley

Early Bronze Age.

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