The Funeral Kit: Mortuary Practices in the Archaeological Record

by Jill L. Baker

Studies of mortuary archaeology tend to focus on difference―how the researcher can identify age, gender, status, and ethnicity from the contents of a burial. Jill L. Baker’s innovative approach begins from the opposite how can you recognize the commonalities of a culture from the “funeral kit” that occurs in all burials, irrespective of status differences? And what do those commonalities have to say about the world view and religious beliefs of that culture? Baker begins with the Middle and Late Bronze Age tombs in the southern Levant, then expands her scope in ever widening circles to create a general model of the funeral kit of use to archaeologists in a wide variety of cultures and settings. The volume will be of equal value to specialists in Near Eastern archaeology and those who study mortuary remains in ancient cultures worldwide.

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are very few detailed studies of the mortuary context in the Bronze Age southern Levant, and Baker's work is a breath of fresh air for the field. Her funeral kit, a standard set of grave goods associated with funerary rites, is an interesting and compelling hypothesis, as she gives detailed examples from many Bronze Age sites, including Meggido and Jericho. Where she falters is in her wider application of the "kit," as it does not fit as comfortably outside of the Levant. Additionally, she does little to discuss the meaning and reason behind the kit, nor does she address modern mortuary theoretical concerns. Overall, a good and necessary work, which will hopefully push future reasrch on mortuary archaeology in the Bronze Age Levant.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baker's work focuses on the funeral kit, set of ceramic and non-ceramic grave goods that are associated with burials. I found the methodology interesting as well as you can use this to examine the changes in the funeral kit across time and between different cultures and regions.

Also I like how she detailed Canaanite and Egyptian views of death and differences between the two.