The Last Grave: 2 (Witch Hunt Novel)

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Jones M. L’armée bretonne 1449–1491: Structures et carrières. La France de la fin du xve siècle: renouveau et apogée. Paris: CNRS Editions; 1985. pp. 147–166. Privat KL, O’Connell TC, Hedges REM. The distinction between freshwater- and terrestrial-based diets: methodological concerns and archaeological applications of sulphur stable isotope analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science. 2007;34: 1197–1204. Figure 3. Phase I: The first burial event in Grave XVII. Plan (bottom); the three burials (H.41, H.45 and H.46) (upper left); H.41 with a straight line of bone pendants along the humerus and ribcage down to the femur (upper right). Colleter R, Dedouit F, Duchesne S, Mokrane F-Z, Gendrot V, Gérard P, et al. Procedures and Frequencies of Embalming and Heart Extractions in Modern Period in Brittany. Contribution to the Evolution of Ritual Funerary in Europe. PLoS ONE. 2016;11: e0167988. pmid:28030554

In detecting ‘group identity’ archaeologically, it is essential to account for and understand the evidence of mortuary practices, since those play a crucial social role in human societies at large. It is through these practices that social communication takes place within a community (Bell Reference Bell1997) as well as defining the group in relation to other communities. Funerary practices are performed by the living during burial events (Grosman & Munro Reference Grosman, Munro, Enzel and Bar-Yosef2017) and convey the specific social knowledge which reinforces and renegotiates the group identity of the living (e.g. Bloch & Parry Reference Bloch, Parry, Bloch and Parry1982). Just a few feet away on another wall in the study of his Co Down home is a framed picture of a police officer who wasn't so fortunate - Ian's father Thomas who died four days after a firefight with a terrorist gang in Dungannon in April 1942 - making him only the fifth RUC man to die after the establishment of the force 20 years earlier. Scaffidi BK, Knudson KJ. An archaeological strontium isoscape for the prehistoric Andes: Understanding population mobility through a geostatistical meta-analysis of archaeological 87Sr/86Sr values from humans, animals, and artifacts. Journal of Archaeological Science. 2020;117: 105121. Bataille CP, Holstein ICC von, Laffoon JE, Willmes M, Liu X-M, Davies GR. A bioavailable strontium isoscape for Western Europe: A machine learning approach. PLOS ONE. 2018;13: e0197386. pmid:29847595

Footnotes

It appears that in the LN burials (either primary or secondary), the skulls are usually absent. Although in secondary burials a missing cranium could result from misplacement or other forms of disturbance, in primary burials the intentional nature of this practice is most obvious, as known from other LN graveyards (and see Nahal Oren: Stekelis & Yizraeli Reference Stekelis and Yizraely1963; Eynan: Perrot & Ladiray Reference Perrot and Ladiray1988; Hayonim Terrace: Valla Reference Valla2012). Interestingly, in Grave VI which was used during both the EN and the LN, all burials retained their skulls. Schwarcz HP, Gibbs L, Knyf M. Oxygen isotope analysis as an indicator of place of origin. In: Pfeiffer S, Williamson RE, editors. Snake Hill: An Investigation of a Military Cemetery from the War of 1812. Toronto: Dundurn Press; 1991. pp. 263–268. Tonight Ian Forbes will launch a sombre 90-minute DVD collection of the photographs of every single grave of the RUC victims who include no fewer than 29 officers whom he knew well. David Fensome, 72, from Harpenden, Herts, is one of his few surviving relatives. He said: “He was my great-uncle, but I don’t remember anything about him.

He is thought to have been sent with another recruit on cycles to the village of Obourg, just north east of Mons, on a mission to locate the enemy. Of the buried, 71 per cent are adults—42 per cent are males, 13 per cent are females and 16 per cent could not be skeletally sexed. Children account for 29 per cent of the interments. It seems that at least two young females died while giving birth. If the burials are regarded as representing the mortality percentages of children at various ages, it is quite obvious that mortality had been highest at the crucial time of weaning (3–6 years) (Belfer-Cohen et al. Reference Belfer-Cohen, Schepartz, Arensburg, Bar-Yosef and Valla1991). Willmes M, Bataille CP, James HF, Moffat I, McMorrow L, Kinsley L, et al. Mapping of bioavailable strontium isotope ratios in France for archaeological provenance studies. Applied Geochemistry. 2018;90: 75–86. Progress on solving the grave space crisis is likely to take time, based on past form. The problem has been building for over 150 years, since the Burial Act of 1857 banned the exhumation of bodies to allow grave re-use. As cities became crowded after the industrial revolution, churchyards overflowed and, although re-use had been common, the public were horrified as recent burials were dug up. Re-use remains legal under church law but many churchyard burial grounds are now closed. Ian adds: "I caught him stealing drink from a pub but I urged my Chief Inspector to let him off with a caution because I told him - and I remember the words well - that he wasn't a bad lad," he says.Homo 17 (Grave VIII/IX), a male, 20–25 years old, with many scaphopod shells (most of the 164 beads recovered from the grave) scattered near his arms, probably the remains of a decorated garment. However, grave re-use can raise strong emotions. The London Borough of Southwark is considering grave re-use but has encountered some strong local opposition. PUBLIC GRAVE Another type of common grave. The grave was filled up completely after each interment, so that the deepest burial involved most work and cost the largest amount (14s during the nineteenth century). This type was still known as a 'public grave' in 1921. INSCRIPTION GRAVE