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The effects of social change on infant funerary practices: a study of baby burials on the frontiers of the Western Roman Empire
 | Email: Isabel.annal.13@ucl.ac.uk |
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The effects of social change on infant funerary practices: a study of baby burials on the frontiers of the Western Roman Empire
This project will compare infant burials in the Roman provinces of Britannia and Germania between the 1st century BC – 5th century AD, covering the beginnings and endings of Roman occupation.
It has long been recognised by archaeologists that adult burials can reveal a wealth of information about past societies, yet burials of infants have, until recently, been dismissed as ‘deviant’, and largely ignored. This study will analyse excavation reports of infant burials to gather details such as the burial’s context within the site, the nature of the site, age of the infant, depth and orientation of the burial, and associated grave goods. Once this data has been gathered and collated, comparative analyses will highlight patterns within and across the different regions and eras.
From the few studies which have conducted detailed analyses of infant burials, it has been observed that, almost universally, infants (from prenatal to approximately 18-24 months) are treated differently in death to other members of their communities. The reasons for this special treatment reflect the deeply-embedded conceptions societies hold about personhood – what it means to be a living person – and can help to understand how Roman presence affected these ideas in the provinces.
Education
- BA, Classical Archaeology and Classical Civilisation, University College London, 2016
- MA, Archaeology, University College London, 2018
