Munibe Antropologia-Arkeologia (Dec 2019)
Enterramientos infantiles en las necrópolis tardoantiguas y medievales de Humanejos (Parla, Madrid)
Abstract
A continuación se presentan los resultados relativos a las tumbas con individuos no-adultos halladas en tres necrópolis del yacimiento de Humanejos (Parla, Madrid): la más antigua datada en época tardoantigua, otra medieval islámica y una tercera bajomedieval cristiana. La cronología abarca aproximadamente desde la segunda mitad del siglo VI hasta el siglo XVI. Se han excavado un total de 121 estructuras funerarias que contenían los restos de 154 individuos de los cuales 36 eran no-adultos. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las tumbas infantiles desde una perspectiva arqueológica y bioantropológica, para conocer cuáles eran las prácticas funerarias hacia este grupo social, así como observar las posibles diferencias existentes entre ambos ritos. _____________________________________________ Graves containing non-adult individuals found in the Late Antiquity and Late Medieval cemeteries of Humanejos (Parla, Madrid) are presented (VIth-16th centuries A.D.). On this graveyard 121 funerary structures belonging to both Muslim and Christian rites were excavated. An exhaustive anthropological report of 154 individuals has been made, 36 of which which were children from all age groups. The aim of this paper was to analyse the non-adult burials from an archaeological and bioanthropological perspective in order to determine the funerary patterns among this social group, as well as to observe potential differences between non-adults and adults in both religious rites and periods. Some of the archaeological variables used in this research were the type of structure, the position and orientation of the bodies or the presence or absence of grave-goods, which have been combined with anthropological variables such us the age at death or the paleo-pathological characteristics of the population. As a result, no big differences in the funerary treatment have been detected between adults and non-adults of both rites and their graves appear mixed throughout the necropolis. Some differences can be however identified among children given that new-borns are extremely scarce in both periods, what would possibly indicate a differential funerary treatment towards them. Certain diversity has also been detected in Christian graves of both periods since children individual tombs are proportionally more abundant in Late Antiquity than in Medieval times. In any case, there is no doubt that non-adults are a crucial part of every society and that the funerary record is one of the best scenario to understand the social role that boys and girls would have in their communities. Indeed the funerary treatment that they received is a true reflection of social consideration and at the same time shows eventual differences that would exist between them.
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