Burial grounds: ownership, management, occupation and reoccupation in the ancient worlds

The research of recent years, thanks to the multiplication of archaeological examples, shows the interest of a re-examination of anthropological, archaeological and historical data, for the study of the populations and funerary practices of Antiquity.

It is in this line of new interdisciplinary work that we wish to reflect on the relationship between the management of land occupation and the management of the dead, as well as its evolution over different cultural and temporal areas. The establishment, delimitation or reoccupation of a funerary area is in fact closely linked - particularly in an urban context - to the evolution of land-use patterns and the land law that governs them.

More specifically, we will examine the interaction between changes in the law and changes in funeral practices: is it changes in the law that lead to the creation of new funeral areas or is it, on the contrary, the investment by the population in new spaces that leads to changes in the law? Various important changes, both political and territorial, mark the ancient world around the Mediterranean basin. Did the evolution of the political and administrative management of territories, the modification of the urban fabric of cities or the reorganization of land in the countryside lead to transformations or mutations within funerary practices? Or, on the contrary, are we witnessing a form of continuity in the gestures adopted? Beyond the conceptual framework, very concrete transformations are taking place from an economic, cultural, political or social point of view and can also have an influence on funeral practices.

The aim is therefore to address the ways in which burials occupy spaces, depending on the social, religious or political context of life, but also on individual or collective funerary practices. These questions call for a cross between the archaeothanatological approach and the study of texts, concerning for example the evolution of the status of plots or the access of the dead to certain areas.

The meeting will be based on concrete cases to initiate a broader discussion on the joint evolution of land occupation and funerary occupations. This meeting does not aim exclusively at presenting unpublished data, but invites to share knowledge on the practices observed in multiple chrono-cultural areas, and to open the discussion between researchers from different disciplines. In this perspective, a large place will be given to discussion: each presentation, whether synthetic or focused on a particular case study, will be followed by a time dedicated to exchanges. The day will end with a general discussion.

Procedures for the study day

The study day will take place exclusively online. Oral presentations will be 20 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes of discussion. The preferred language of the conference is English. (If the use of this language could be an obstacle to your participation, do not hesitate to contact us. We are at your disposal to find a solution together).

Terms of submission

Proposals for papers should be submitted before 30 May 2021 to the address: gaelle.granier[at]univ-amu.fr. They should mention the title of the paper, the list of authors, their respective institutional affiliation and contact information, and an abstract of no more than 3000 characters (500 words).

Organizing committee

Gaëlle Granier (archaeo-anthropologist, CNRS research fellow, UMR 7268 ADES), Alexia Lattard (archaeo-anthropologist, Direction Archéologie et Patrimoine de la Ville de Fréjus & UMR 7299 Centre Camille Jullian), Reine-Marie Bérard ( archaeologist, CNRS research fellow, UMR 7299 Centre Camille Jullian) and Florence Mocci ( archaeologist, CNRS research engineer, UMR 7299 Centre Camille Jullian).