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Death, fire and abandonment

Ritual practice at late neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2009

Marc Verhoeven
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Abstract

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This article offers an interpretation of the structure and meaning of a mortuary ritual at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Remains of this funeral have been uncovered in the ‘Burnt Village’, a late neolithic settlement largely destroyed by fire. The possibly intentional and ritual burning of the settlement is related to the mortuary ritual; it is suggested that here we have evidence for an extended ‘death ritual’ ending, but also transforming, human and material life. Death, fire and abandonment, then, seem to have been closely related. Some examples suggest that these relations also existed at other neolithic sites in the Near East.

Keywords

SyriaTell Sabi AbyadNeolithicintentional firing of settlementdeath ritual
Type
Discussion Article
Information
Archaeological Dialogues , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , September 2000 , pp. 46 - 65
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2000

References

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