Extramural cemeteries are part of the visual, social, and symbolic landscapes of settlements. They can transform according to the needs of changing social conditions, but they also do not always reflect the circumstances of the living. This dissertation examines the role of landscape, rituals, and memories in the formation of mortuary traditions of Bronze Age Anatolia. The goal is to understand how social and ritual change was expressed materially in cemeteries, and how these expressions continued over time. This research analyzes mortuary evidence from western- and central- Anatolian cemeteries and evaluates them in a social and ritual context. Through an anthropological framework, I challenge the argument, widely-accepted in the study of Bronze Age Anatolia, that burials were direct expressions of one’s wealth and identity. Mortuary data from third- and second-millennium cemeteries show that mortuary places, interactions with the dead, and burial objects were strongly influenced by social memories, local choices, and ritual practices more than they were by individuals’ economic statuses. This research concludes that despite the local diversity in settlements and in burial objects, mortuary practices show clear similarities in different regions in western and central Anatolia. They continue —almost unchanged— for long periods of time. The communal aspect of the mortuary rituals and the location of cemeteries in the landscape play a central role in the continuity of cemeteries as important social and symbolic places.
DURGUN, PINAR,
"Mortuary Places, Rituals, and Memories: Anatolian Cemeteries in Context"
(2018).
Graduate Research Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/9cmm-jn59
