The Process of Death : a bioarchaeological approach to Mycenaean mortuary traditions in Achaia

This dissertation focuses on two main issues within Mycenaean burial traditions: secondary treatment and burial exclusion. Approaching these themes with a multi-faceted bioarchaeological methodology has allowed me to explore the evidence in a new light. This dissertation has various impacts on Mycenaean burial research. First, it demonstrated the need for a multi-faceted methodology including archaeological, osteological, and radiocarbon data to approach postmortem manipulation and demographic composition to Mycenaean burials. In addition, this study produced bioarchaeological data that will aid future Mycenaean research. This dissertation also shows that legacy data is an untapped resource that should be more readily integrated into bioarchaeological studies. Finally, this dissertation showed the importance of regional and inter-regional bioarchaeological research. By combining bioarchaeological data from multiple sites and regions, I was able to examine demographic composition and discuss Mycenaean burial exclusion in a new way. Consolidating inter-regional data allows archaeologists to step back and observe wider cultural patterns, while leaving site-specific trends behind.