DOI Artikel:
Saito, Kiyohide: Female burial practices in Palmyra: some observations from the underground tombs
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26423#0291
FEMALE BURIAL PRACTICES IN PALMYRA: SOME OBSERYATIONS FROM THE UNDERGROUND TOMBS
3. The female de ad and grave goods
The relation between the dead and grave goods in the underground tombs in Palmyra has already
been discussed (Saito 2005). The present paper identifies child burials furnished with multiple
grave goods as burials specifically of girls.
Females were buried with or without accessories, but all burials with any kind of grave goods
from the four underground tombs in ąuestion were almost without exception female. A young
girl buried in loculus Ml-1 in Tomb C, together with a 40-60 year old man (‘MLA’), was given
numerous grave goods, among others a bronze mirror, seven glass vessels and a leather Container
[Fig. 3:a\. In Tomb F, a young girl with a large stone placed on her abdomen wore a necklace [burial
EL6-0, Fig. 3:b] and a maturę woman had three rings on her fingers [burial ENL1-0B, Fig. 3:ć\. Buried
in the same loculus was a young girl with many different accessories, including a female figurine
as an amulet [burial ENL1-0F, Fig. 3:d]. A young girl from Tomb E wore a bracelet [burial WL2-2,
Fig. 3:e\. In Tomb H, a young girl was buried with toiletries and wore a bracelet [burial NL4-0, Fig.
4a, left] and another young girl was furnished with a bonę spindle whorl, bonę pins, glass yessels
and sheep metacarpi.3 Some bead necklaces were found with another female skeleton [burial SL1-
1, Fig. 4a, right] (Saito 201 Oa). An adult woman was buried with some accessories and a glass bot-
tle, among others, in a pit grave in the floor of the burial chamber in Tomb H [PG-J, Fig. 4b], A
young girl from the Tomb of Zabda in the Valley of the Tombs had a necklace of pearls, a frog-
shaped amulet, five earrings, a shellfish and two glass yessels (Michałowski 1960).
On the other hand, the adult man buried with an iron ring and two earthen lamps [burial R4-0
in Tomb C, Fig. 5] was the only case of a małe burial with accessories among all the 101 małe
burials found in the four excavated tombs in ąuestion. The ring, however, may have been used as
a seal and thus would have been imbued with a different meaning.
Glass yessels were discovered in the tombs, in female burials as well as burials of infants and
children, together with other grave goods, but not with terracotta lamps.4 On the other hand, glass
containers seem never to have accompanied the małe dead.
Some children (over one year old) and infants (under one year old) were given grave goods.
These included three of six infants from Tomb C and four of nine infants and two of 23 children
from Tomb F. The grave goods in these instances included glass yessels, beads, and bells among
others. In Tomb E, two of six children were accompanied by accessories. Nine of 44 children and
two of 14 infants in Tomb FI had accessories in the form of glass yessels, toiletries and bronze bells.
Whereas circumstances of deposition (inundation and grave robbery) make it difficult to say,
which burials were accompanied by grave goods, but the very presence of these items indicates
that they could have been deposited with women, children and infants. Accessories like amulets
and glass yessels definitely accompanied females in the four underground tombs, hence it is very
likely that children and infants of undetermined sex, if accompanied by grave goods other than
earthen lamps and seal-rings, were female.
4. Female burial circumstances
The circumstances of two female burials in the underground tombs in ąuestion merit attention
owing to their unusual character. In the first case, a 20-year old woman was buried with a małe
40 to 60 years old (‘MLA’) in loculus Ml-1 of Tomb C. Both skeletons lay extended, their heads to
the back wali of the loculus. Examination of the burials left no doubt that the girl had been buried
3 Sheep metacarpi were also unearthed with some toilet items in burial NL5-0 in Tomb H, but the sex of the deceased was
not determined. Metacarpi used as part of a loom were buried with females to show gender characteristics (Saito 2010a).
4 D. Piacentini (2005) pointed out that glass yessels were freąuently put near the feet of the dead, but did not identify
the sex of the deceased in these cases. The position of glass yessels was the same in burials ML1-1 in Tomb C, and
NL4-0 and SL1-1 in Tomb H. All the burials were of females and in no case was a female furnished with a lamp.
289
Studia Palmyreńskie XII
3. The female de ad and grave goods
The relation between the dead and grave goods in the underground tombs in Palmyra has already
been discussed (Saito 2005). The present paper identifies child burials furnished with multiple
grave goods as burials specifically of girls.
Females were buried with or without accessories, but all burials with any kind of grave goods
from the four underground tombs in ąuestion were almost without exception female. A young
girl buried in loculus Ml-1 in Tomb C, together with a 40-60 year old man (‘MLA’), was given
numerous grave goods, among others a bronze mirror, seven glass vessels and a leather Container
[Fig. 3:a\. In Tomb F, a young girl with a large stone placed on her abdomen wore a necklace [burial
EL6-0, Fig. 3:b] and a maturę woman had three rings on her fingers [burial ENL1-0B, Fig. 3:ć\. Buried
in the same loculus was a young girl with many different accessories, including a female figurine
as an amulet [burial ENL1-0F, Fig. 3:d]. A young girl from Tomb E wore a bracelet [burial WL2-2,
Fig. 3:e\. In Tomb H, a young girl was buried with toiletries and wore a bracelet [burial NL4-0, Fig.
4a, left] and another young girl was furnished with a bonę spindle whorl, bonę pins, glass yessels
and sheep metacarpi.3 Some bead necklaces were found with another female skeleton [burial SL1-
1, Fig. 4a, right] (Saito 201 Oa). An adult woman was buried with some accessories and a glass bot-
tle, among others, in a pit grave in the floor of the burial chamber in Tomb H [PG-J, Fig. 4b], A
young girl from the Tomb of Zabda in the Valley of the Tombs had a necklace of pearls, a frog-
shaped amulet, five earrings, a shellfish and two glass yessels (Michałowski 1960).
On the other hand, the adult man buried with an iron ring and two earthen lamps [burial R4-0
in Tomb C, Fig. 5] was the only case of a małe burial with accessories among all the 101 małe
burials found in the four excavated tombs in ąuestion. The ring, however, may have been used as
a seal and thus would have been imbued with a different meaning.
Glass yessels were discovered in the tombs, in female burials as well as burials of infants and
children, together with other grave goods, but not with terracotta lamps.4 On the other hand, glass
containers seem never to have accompanied the małe dead.
Some children (over one year old) and infants (under one year old) were given grave goods.
These included three of six infants from Tomb C and four of nine infants and two of 23 children
from Tomb F. The grave goods in these instances included glass yessels, beads, and bells among
others. In Tomb E, two of six children were accompanied by accessories. Nine of 44 children and
two of 14 infants in Tomb FI had accessories in the form of glass yessels, toiletries and bronze bells.
Whereas circumstances of deposition (inundation and grave robbery) make it difficult to say,
which burials were accompanied by grave goods, but the very presence of these items indicates
that they could have been deposited with women, children and infants. Accessories like amulets
and glass yessels definitely accompanied females in the four underground tombs, hence it is very
likely that children and infants of undetermined sex, if accompanied by grave goods other than
earthen lamps and seal-rings, were female.
4. Female burial circumstances
The circumstances of two female burials in the underground tombs in ąuestion merit attention
owing to their unusual character. In the first case, a 20-year old woman was buried with a małe
40 to 60 years old (‘MLA’) in loculus Ml-1 of Tomb C. Both skeletons lay extended, their heads to
the back wali of the loculus. Examination of the burials left no doubt that the girl had been buried
3 Sheep metacarpi were also unearthed with some toilet items in burial NL5-0 in Tomb H, but the sex of the deceased was
not determined. Metacarpi used as part of a loom were buried with females to show gender characteristics (Saito 2010a).
4 D. Piacentini (2005) pointed out that glass yessels were freąuently put near the feet of the dead, but did not identify
the sex of the deceased in these cases. The position of glass yessels was the same in burials ML1-1 in Tomb C, and
NL4-0 and SL1-1 in Tomb H. All the burials were of females and in no case was a female furnished with a lamp.
289
Studia Palmyreńskie XII