This thesis is concerned with approaches to identity in archaeology, specifically the later prehistory of East Yorkshire, during the first millennium B. C. The region is characterised by a middle-late Iron Age square barrow burial rite, which has been interpreted as the product of the 'Arras' culture. It tackles the problem that identity has traditionally been understood as a social given (as part of an evolutionary process or an innate condition of a social group) that can be read from material remains. It argues that such models fail to make a critical enquiry into how identity is reproduced, with damaging social and political implications. In contrast, the thesis argues that identity is the project through which people come to know themselves as social beings, through the webs of their relations with others and the material world. Identity always takes work, and is constituted through that work. Archaeology therefore explores how identities were reproduced and mobilised over time, through an analysis of material fragments which are both the product and conditions of identity practice The thesis explores the contrasting character of practices of inhabitation from the later Bronze Age - late Iron Age (c. 8 th -I' century B. C. /A. D. ). It interprets the emergence and disappearance of the burial rite in terms of the political projects and discourses of identity which were reproduced through the strategic manipulation of the dead. More broadly, it argues that archaeology is both an analytical and interpretative endeavour. It presents the theoretical grounds of its approach, a methodology for exploring identity, and the results of its analysis (including a report on original fieldwork undertaken at Wharram Grange Crossroads, East Yorkshire). It also argues that the way in which this interpretative process is returned to the reader is constitutive of the meaning that they make, and it develops ways in which this can be made explicit in the writing of a thesis.

La thèse porte sur deux objectives : 1) décrire le parcours politique et institutionnel qui a conduit dans le Royaume de Naples à la soustraction de la matière funéraire à l’exclusif contrôle ecclésiastique; 2) évaluer l’impact sociale de ce procès par l’examen des transformations dans l’organisation des services funèbres. La période sur laquelle a été conduite la recherche corresponde aux premières années de la domination autrichienne (1707) jusqu’aux années 1850, en correspondance de la consolidation de l’invention typologique du cimetière publique. Pour ce qui concerne les résultats obtenus, l’enquête montre soit la conformité du cas napolitain au modèle plus général de l’Europe continentale soit la consistance très importante du marché funéraire comme source des revenues pour les paroisses urbaines dans une mégalopole méditerranéenne d’ancien régime. / The thesis aims to two objectives: 1) Illustrating the political and institutional process that leaded in the Kingdom of Naples to remove the exclusive ecclesiastical control of the funerals and burials system 2) Evaluating the social impact of this process through the analysis of transformations in the organization of funeral services. The investigated period correspond to the first years of the Austrian domination (1707) until the years 50s of 19th century, when the invention of the public cemetery typology was achieved. With regard to the results obtained, the research shows both the conformity of Neapolitan case to the European burial reform and the importance of the funeral market as source of revenues for the urban parishes in a Mediterranean megalopolis during the Ancien Régime.

The burial type referred to as bundle burials was a rare occurrence during the Neolithic era and little research has been done on the topic. Three graves from the Ajvide/Jakobs site at Eksta parish, Gotland have been identified as this specific type of burial. There are several potential explanations to why this type of burial would potentially occasionally be implemented or why the excavated remains would be found in this types of positions. The purpose of this thesis is to present and search for different explanations to this phenomenon. Furthermore, the main purpose of the study is to explore how taphonomic research can potentially deepen our knowledge regarding rituals and practices of the past, particularly within the field of mortuary archaeology. / Paketgravar under den neolitiska perioden är en ovanlig förekomst och lite forskning har gjorts om ämnet. Totalt tre paketgravar har identifierats vid Ajvide /Jakobs, Eksta socken på Gotland. Det finns många möjliga förklaringar till varför denna typ av begravning potentiellt skulle kunna praktiserats eller varför benelementen skulle kunna påträffats i dessa typer av positioner. Syftet med denna uppsats är att presentera och undersöka olika möjliga förklaringar till detta ovanliga gravskick. Vidare är syftet med studien även att utforska hur tafonomisk forskning potentiellt kan fördjupa vår kunskap om ritualer från det förflutna, framförallt inom gravarkeologi.

Chiapa de Corzo Mound 3 was excavated by Tim Tucker under the direction of the New World Archaeological Foundation in July 1965. Mound 3 is located in the ritual center of Chiapa de Corzo, the southwest quadrant. Significant Preclassic and Protoclassic architecture, burials, and caches were discovered there but were never fully analyzed or published. A complete analysis of this mound is necessary to better understand the role of Chiapa de Corzo as a whole and as a regional power. This thesis completes the analysis and accomplishes the following goals: (1) completes the ceramic analysis and classification started by Tucker, (2) produces a catalog of all the burials and caches and their furniture found in Mound 3, and (3) describes changes in the architecture of this mound for each construction phase to determine the general function of Mound 3 throughout its occupation. Keywords:

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In 1969, Paul Tolstoy commented that archaeological investigation at La Venta had become "a fairly long and at times tortuous story of excavation, interpretation, re-interpretation, and depredation at the famous site found by Stirling." This thesis adds to the torture by describing and illustrating the architecture, burials, offerings, and stone sculpture of La Venta Complex A in an effort to reconcile data into an accurate sequence of meaningful cultural events. The details derive from excavation reports, field notes, maps, photographs, and correspondence of the early investigators of the site. This study addressed three myopic perceptions regarding La Venta: (1) the secludedness of Complex A, in particular the Ceremonial Court, from its inception to its termination, (2) the classification and identification of real human burials in Complex A, and (3) the analytical decontextualization of objects, offerings, and monuments from connected ritual activities there.

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This thesis, “Designing for Death in a Divided Future,” by Hillevi Hesseldahl, is a speculative design project which explores the ideological dichotomy in addressing climate crises within the Anthropocene epoch. The study highlights two major frameworks: Posthumanism together with Anthroposophy, advocating for a harmonious integration with nature, and Transhumanism together with Eco-Realism, emphasizing technological solutions and a geologial separation between human and wild ecosystems. The project uses speculative design to visualize future death rites, presenting two contrasting scenarios for Stockholm in 2050.  The first scenario, “Gaian Sympoiesis,” envisions a society deeply connected with nature, employing local, community-based solutions. Here, death rites involve the “Vessel of Return,” an urn designed to return human essence to the earth, symbolizing a cyclical view of life.  The second scenario, “Cybernetic Ascendancy,” portrays a technologically advanced society where humans withdraw from nature, relying on digital innovation and conservation of natural habitats. This scenario introduces the “Orb of Descendancy,” a digital artifact encapsulating a deceased person’s life data, reflecting a rational, data-driven approach to memorialization.  By examining these speculative futures, the thesis sheds light on current ideological divides and the potential impacts of our choices on the trajectory of human civilization. This project combines artistic methods, personal interviews, and design theories to create tangible representations of possible futures, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of the present and stimulate discourse on navigating the Anthropocene.