Cimetières et identités

Recognition of the identity of past populations is one of the major issues of archaeology, and more particularly of funerary archaeology. Burial practices adopted by various human groups may reflect some aspects of their identity, such as social status, cultural heritage, or religious belief for recent periods. Characterising the identity of communities which disappeared several centuries ago is however challenging, and it requires a rigorous approach which is illustrated in this third volume of the Thanat’Os collection. Through several contributions from archaeologists, anthropologists and historians, this book addresses various aspects of the identity of the populations from historical periods, both for the Occident and the former French colonies. It encourages an interdisciplinary methodological approach, which can contribute to recognise the identity of individuals derived from burial grounds of unknown status.