REVEALING ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURES LINKED TO MORTALITY INCREASES

In this paper, we discuss criteria for evaluating the simultaneous deposit of multiple cadavers within a single pit. This archaeological approach is fundamental in identifying an abnormal mortality episode, whether occasional or linked to a mortality crisis, whatever its cause. This diagnosis must rely on the discussion of the relative chronology of body deposits, which can be particularly complex when numerous cadavers and superposition of bodies are involved. We illustrate our approach with several case studies from sites excavated as part of academic research and rescue archaeology. These examples emphasise the contribution, as well as the limits, of archaeothanatology and highlight the need to use alternative arguments for the study of some plural burials.