The practice of cremation in the Roman-era cemetery at Kenchreai, Greece The perspective from archeology and forensic science

Abstract

Since 2002 the Kenchreai Cemetery Project has explored subterranean chamber tombs of Roman date in the main cemetery of the ancient port of Kenchreai, on the eastern coast of the Isthmus of Corinth, Greece. Analysis of the human remains recovered from three tombs has furnished evidence for cremation as well as inhumation. The cremated remains represent both adults and immature individuals. Forensic analysis indicates that the original event of cremation reached high temperatures over a long duration, and that only a fraction of the cremated remains were transferred to the tombs. Ancient mortuary sites represent valuable repositories of information regarding not just the burial customs of past societies, but also biocultural information about the people represented and their attitudes toward life and death. Such information is augmented through a thoughtful bioarcheological approach in which knowledge gleaned from skeletal analysis is integrated with archeological interpretation following meticulous excavation. This report exemplifies this sort of analysis, focusing on the interpretation of cremated remains from chamber tombs of Roman date in the main cemetery at Kenchreai in southern Greece.