Kinship....

JUST KIDDING!

Hello, fellow archaeology students...

I have a wonderful article that I had remembered incorrectly and had convinced myself that it had to do with kinship, but alas, it does not. Regardless, I will present and discuss this most wonderful Upper Paleolithic burial and why it is oh-so wonderful. Can it relate to kinship? I'm sure I could find a way to swing that, though it may be a bit of a stretch. Either way, I hope you enjoy this discussion regarding:

The Double Child Burial from Sunghir (Russia): 

Pathology and Inferences for Upper 

Paleolithic Funerary Practices

(Formicola & Buzhilova, 2004, p.189-198)

This particular burial is absolutely stunning and one of my personal favourites. Located in Sunghir, Russia, the Sunghir site resides in open tundra-like conditions with multiple burials, though there is one of particular interest: the burial of two children, lying head to head, covered in thousands of beads, and buried with many important and peculiar grave goods. Sunghir dates to the Upper Paleolithic, approximately 24,000 BP.

(Burial of Sunghir 2&3, head to head)

The two children a part of this simultaneous inhumation will be henceforth referred to as Sunghir 2, a boy near the age of 12-13 and Sunghir 3, a girl near the age of 9-10 (according to dentition). The peculiarities surrounding this burial are many, beginning with the simple fact that this lavish burial contains children (not common during the Upper Paleolithic), the way the children were laid in the burial, and the extreme amount of grave goods for that time. A peculiarity which further mystified archaeologists is the pathology present in the long bones of Sunghir 3, which displayed Congenital Bowing of the Long Bones or (CBLB), a condition which shortens and significantly bows the long bones of an individual. This pathology has been linked to diabetes of the mother in contemporary times.

(Artists rendition of the burial of Sunghir 2&3. Note the long mammoth spears and thousands of beads)

One of the most spectacular aspects of the Sunghir burials is the sheer amount of beads which were most likely sewn to the clothing the children were buried in. Thousands of beads made of ivory and fox canines littered the children. The burial also contained "long spears of straightened mammoth tusks (one of which is 240 cm long), ivory daggers... pierced antler rods, bracelets, ivory animal carvings, ivory pins, and disc-shaped pendants" (Formicola & Buzhilova, 2004, p.189). 

Sunghir is differs in many ways from other Upper Paleolithic burials in that, a) this lavish burial was for children, b) the mass amounts of grave goods (especially beads which would have taken many hours to make), c) the positioning of the children (as most double burials were side-by-side), and d) the congenital condition suffered by Sunghir 3. Formicola and Buzhilova discuss the importance of the congenital deformity in the long bones of Sunghir 3 in the preparation of such an elaborate burial. It is suggested by the authors that "those associations reassert the possibility of ideological connections between “abnormality” and extraordinary funerary patterns" (Formicola & Buzhilova, 2004, p.189). 

My opinion? I find the authors conclusions very possible, but also wonder if the children could have represented some form of sacrifice, given the high level of importance signified by such an elaborate burial. Cause of death is not discussed in the paper, though disease or an "accident" was given as a possible reason why the children died at the same time (Formicola & Buzhilova, 2004, p.189). I suppose ritual sacrifice would have to be further explored in burial practices for that time and area. It is also possible that such an elaborate burial could signify KINSHIP (I did it) of sorts, possibly linking these children to high ranking individuals within their society. I find this also very plausible, especially when one considers that burial goods such as spears were not necessarily yet useful to children of such young ages, therefore could have been the possession of a high ranking father or family member. 

(Artists rendition of an Upper Paleolithic household at Sunghir, making beads and decorating clothing)

Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you enjoyed the treasure that is Sunghir. 

Primary paper used:

Formicola, V., & Buzhilova, A.P. (2004). The Double Child Burial from Sunghir (Russia):                 Pathology and Inferences for Upper Paleolithic Funerary Practices. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 124, 189-198.