Burial in a Kiln

Abstract

The present case investigates a burial in a kiln and its interpretations, including the probability of criminal punishment in Early Byzantine Attica. Human skeletal remains from the 4th century AD were found in a kiln at the site of Merenda, in Attica, Greece. The inhumation consisted of an individual that seemed to be cut in half and re-arranged in such a way that her upper and lower halves were deposited next to each other. Portions of a second individual, a male, were found in association. This burial can be called deviant in the sense that it is different from the usual manner of interment during Late Antiquity. Osteological and burial context analyses, together with historical sources, help to shed light on the cultural circumstances surrounding the burial.