ABSTRACT

This section turns to the themes that figure prominently in today’s bioarchaeological research. The first of these centers on ritual studies, mortuary theories, and archaeological definitions of burial programs. This theme remains highly visible in archaeological inquiries and has been conspicuous in recent book length treatments (Arnold and Wicker, 2001; Chung and Wegers, 2005; Insoll, 2004; Parker Pearson, 2001; Rakita et al., 2005; Sprague, 2005; Thorpe, 2002; Williams, 2003). As emphasized by Goldstein in Chapter 14, such theoretical developments are (too) frequently underappreciated by bioarchaeologists.