Profiling Death. Neo-Elamite Mortuary Practices, Afterlife Beliefs, and Entanglements with Ancestors

Yasmina Wicks, PhD (2017), is a researcher at the University of Sydney. She has authored a monograph on 8th-6th Century BCE Babylonian, Assyrian and Elamite Bronze ‘Bathtub’ Coffins (Archaeopress, 2015) and several articles on first millennium Elam.

“This is an important contribution to the study of Neo-Elamite culture.” - Lester L. Grabbe, in Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2020

• Preface and AcknowledgementsList of PlatesList of TablesAbbreviations Alas, Short is the Joy of Life! Why Study Elamite Mortuary Practices?Part 1: The Backdrop: Elam in the First Millennium1 Neo-Elamite Geography, Chronology, History, and the Textual and Iconographic Evidence Used in this Book 1.1 Geography1.2 Chronology1.3 Textual Evidence 11.4 Iconographic Evidence1.5 Historical OverviewPart 2: The Mortuary Evidence2 b>The Burial Evidence 2.1 Lowlands2.1.1 Susa2.1.1.1Apadana2.2 Foothills2.2.1 Karkhai2.2.2 Kalantar2.2.3 Tall-E Gazir2.2.4 Jubaji2.2.5 Arjan2.3 Highlands2.3.1 Lama2.3.2 Malyan3 Burial Location, Typology, Orientation and Body Arrangement 3.1 Location3.2 Typology3.2.1 Pit3.2.2 Amphorae-Lined Pit3.2.3 Brick3.2.4 Single Pot3.2.5 Double Pot3.2.6 Jar3.2.7 Mudbrick Vaulted Tomb3.2.8 Stone-lined, Gabled-Roof Tomb3.2.9 Stone-Lined, Slab-Roofed Tomb3.2.10 Bronze “Bathtub” Coffin in a Stone-Built Tomb3.2.11 Geographical and Chronological Notes on Typology3.3 Orientation3.4 Body Arrangement4 The Assemblages 4.1 The Skeleton4.2 Costume4.2.1 Clothing4.2.1.1 Textiles and Textile Decoration4.2.1.2 Garment Fasteners: Belts and Pins4.2.1.3 Visualising Neo-Elamite Clothing4.2.2 Jewellery4.2.2.1 Jewellery in Neo-Elamite Funerary Contexts4.2.2.2 Non-funerary Evidence for Jewellery4.2.2.3 A Word on the Special Value of Eyestones4.2.3 Seals4.2.4 Grooming Utensils and Finishing Touches4.2.5 Weapons4.2.6 Ceremonial(?) “Rings”4.3 Grave Goods: Equipping the Dead4.3.1 Vessels, Implements and Food Offerings4.3.1.1 Vessel Categories4.3.1.2 Vessel Assemblages: Types and Distribution4.3.1.3 Vessels as Evidence for Ritual in Graves4.3.1.4 The Menu of the Dead: Food Remains in Graves4.3.2 Fire Ritual Utensils4.3.2.1 Lamps4.3.2.2 Candelabra4.3.3 Human RepresentationsPart 3: Neo-Elamite Social Identities: Portraits in Graves5 Social Identity in the Mortuary Record 5.1 Economic Status5.2 Gender5.2.1 Elamite Women in Life5.2.2 Construction of Female Identity in the Neo-Elamite Mortuary Record5.2.3 Construction of Male Identity in the Neo-Elamite Mortuary Record5.2.4 Neither Male nor Female? Transcending the Male/Female Dichotomy5.2.5 Non-Costume Grave Goods5.2.6 Further Comments5.3 Childhood5.4 Individual and Family Identity: Naming the Dead?5.5 Occupational Identity5.6 Ceremonial Status and Notes on Two “Princesses” and a “Princely” GravePart 4: Combining Archaeology and Text: Death, Afterlife and the Neo-Elamite Funeral6“Alas, Short is the Joy of Life”: Death and the Afterlife through an Elamite Lens 6.1 Down to the House of Darkness: The Realm of the Dead6.2 Close Encounters with the Netherworld Powers that Be6.3 A Weighing and Judgement6.4 When I am Dead You Will Make the kispu for Me6.5 Temple Institutions and Funerary Cult?7 Imagining the Neo-Elamite Funeral from Archaeology and Texts 7.1 A Ceremonial Farewell in the Lowlands and Foothills7.1.1 Choosing a Location7.1.2 Preparation of a Burial Site and Burial Container7.1.3 Preparation of the Body7.1.4 Dressing up the Dead7.1.5 A Funeral Banquet7.1.6 A Burial Ceremony7.1.7 Mourning7.1.8 Keeping up Relations7.2 A Highland FuneralConcluding Note: The Neo-Elamite Period at the Juncture of Old and New Bibliography Appendix 1: Table of Neo-Elamite Burials List of Plates Index