Archaeological recognition of mortuary behavior in Callao Cave, northern Luzon, Philippines through taphonomic analysis
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Archaeological recognition of mortuary behavior in Callao Cave, northern Luzon, Philippines through taphonomic analysis of isolated human remains Myra Lara 1 & Armand Salvador B. Mijares 1 & Dawn Satumbaga 1 & Llenel de Castro 1 & Jeanne Ramos 1 & Evangeline Recto 1
Received: 30 August 2015 / Accepted: 9 December 2015 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract Fragments of human bones were encountered scattered throughout a layer dated to the Neolithic Period (∼3300 BP) at Callao Cave, northern Luzon, Philippines. A taphonomic analysis of the remains was conducted aimed towards identifying the processes that dispersed and modified the remains and determining whether they represent disturbed skeletons from primary inhumed burials or remains deposited on the ground as either primary or secondary burials. Cortical delamination on many fragments suggests that they had been exposed on the ground. The presence of many lag elements and minimal rounding on fragments suggest that fragments were moved by water flow but their movement had not been extensive. The low amount of re-associated elements and degree of bone fragmentation suggest that, if minimal movement had occurred, the present distribution could have begun with an already disarticulated and fragmented assemblage. On the other hand, the high percentage of hand phalanges could not fully discount the possible placement of complete bodies. Thus, the deposition of whole bodies which later received secondary rites inside the cave is suggested as the most likely explanation of the modifications in the assemblage. The complexity of the practice, although known ethnographically, has not been detected previously in archaeological assemblages, extending current knowledge of mortuary practices in the region. Presence of very few cutmarks suggests possible post-mortem processing of remains. Hematite painting was also detected on bones, typical in secondary burial deposits.
* Myra Lara [email protected] 1
Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1100
Keywords Secondary burial . Human bone taphonomy . Isolated human bones . Callao Cave . Luzon
Introduction Caves in Southeast Asia, as in many caves in other regions, have frequently been used as places for both primary and secondary burials (Anderson 2005; Barker et al. 2005), in sites dating to the Paleolithic (e.g., Majid 2005; Anderson 2005; Barker et al. 2005; Lloyd-Smith 2013), through the Neolithic (e.g., Fox 1970; Anderson 2005; Barker et al. 2005) and Metal Periods (e.g., Fox 1970; Harrisson 1974), until the late millennium (e.g., Paz et al. 2009). In Callao Cave in Peñablanca, northern Luzon, many human bone fragments were encountered scattered in a wide area. The bone fragments were mixed with various artifacts making them likely to be part of a former formal burial. However, the depositional context within which they were encountered did not readily indicate whether they were previously inhumed as primary burials or deposited inside th
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