Smitt og smuler. Brente bein, avfallshåndtering og rituell praksis på mellom mesolittiske

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate alternative theoretical and methodological approaches to animal deposits, using cremated animal bones from settlement sites and wetland-deposits as a point of departure. I argue that waste disposal and ritual practice among Middle Mesolithic ( 8300–6300 BC ) foragers was closely connected, and related to ontological perceptions. Based on how animal bones and objects have been handled and disposed of, I explore how different ideational ontologies defined as animism and totemism (Descola 2013) can be used as heuristic templates for exploring human-non-human relationships.