Grave Disturbances: the archaeology of post-depositional interactions with the dead

Grave Disturbances focuses on a much-neglected area of funerary archaeology. Disturbed human remains are frequently encountered within burial contexts, but are often given scant attention in comparison to more complete remains in expected anatomical configuration. The case studies in the volume focus largely on continental Europe, although there are also forays into Central America and North Africa. They delve into the diverse ways in which people in the past interacted with the remains of the dead, including accidental encounters, the addition of more recently deceased to older burials, and the reuse of mortuary environments. There is a rejection of the catch-all term ‘grave-robbing’ an