AbstractsAnthropology

ENGENDERING THE MONONGAHELA: THE SOCIAL AND SPATIAL DIMENSIONS OF THE JOHNSTON (36IN02) VILLAGE SITE MORTUARY PRACTICES

by Ryan Nathaniel Clark




Institution: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Archaeology ; Gender ; Johnston ; Monogahela ; Mortuary ; Pennsylvania
Record ID: 2061206
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/2069/2242


Abstract

Since the early 1930s, systematic archaeological excavations of Monongahela sites have produced a large mortuary assemblage. Despite the large number of burials, Monongahela mortuary studies have remained mainly descriptive. Previous attempts to categorize Monongahela mortuary behavior have relied on generalities about Monongahela burial data, masking the importance of gender and age variability within a site. This research presents the results from a study using comparisons of patterns among spatially segregated burials, grave-good associations, mortality curves, grave orientation and spatial patterns which provide information important to understanding the range of different activities and contexts that likely involved gender. The results of this thesis provide a baseline for an examination of the Monongahela mortuary patterns in relation to the cultural manifestations of the Johnston Site (36In2).