Archaeology

0751. Alekshin, V. A. BURIAL CUSTOMS AS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCE. Current Anthropology. 1983, 24(2): 137-150. Burial practices as an archaeological source contain a variety of information. Since they represent a stable system, the reconstruction of burial practices permits one to identify six information units. The first unit reveals the ancients' ideas about the means of passage of the deceased to the other world. The second unit permits the reconstruction of the process of replacement of one archaeological culture by another. The third unit can be used to draw conclusions about the social positions of various sex-age groups. The fourth unit allows one to characterize the social differentiation of ancient societies. The fifth unit provides information about the evolution of forms of the family in ancient societies and permits the identification of "outsiders" in the community to which the cemetery belongs. The sixth unit contains demographic factors such as life span, stature, disease, and trauma.