The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective

Age-at-death profiles of individuals from cemeteries are commonly used to indirectly study health and demographic fluctuations in bioarchaeological studies. In this paper, we consider a large dataset, comprising 18 well-dated sites from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, spanning the Neolithic...

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Main Authors: Baptiste Pradier, Frédérique Valentin, T.O. Pryce
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société d'Anthropologie de Paris 2025-06-01
Series:Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/15954
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author Baptiste Pradier
Frédérique Valentin
T.O. Pryce
author_facet Baptiste Pradier
Frédérique Valentin
T.O. Pryce
author_sort Baptiste Pradier
collection DOAJ
description Age-at-death profiles of individuals from cemeteries are commonly used to indirectly study health and demographic fluctuations in bioarchaeological studies. In this paper, we consider a large dataset, comprising 18 well-dated sites from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, spanning the Neolithic to the Iron Age, to investigate age-biased patterns. We challenge the assumption that such patterns are solely due to underlying demography, incomplete excavation or selective preservation of certain skeletons. We argue that age-related anomalies are linked at least in part to the funerary and social dimensions of these sites. By using age-at-death profiles, we demonstrate that age-based selection takes part in the overall funerary behaviour of a given culture, although other influences, such as demographic fluctuations and diseases, may play a determining role at given locales and at different time periods.
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spelling doaj-art-ef3a19b558804b9b929fdad75a92e20f2025-08-20T02:21:41ZengSociété d'Anthropologie de ParisBulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris1777-54692025-06-013710.4000/1431qThe Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary PerspectiveBaptiste PradierFrédérique ValentinT.O. PryceAge-at-death profiles of individuals from cemeteries are commonly used to indirectly study health and demographic fluctuations in bioarchaeological studies. In this paper, we consider a large dataset, comprising 18 well-dated sites from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, spanning the Neolithic to the Iron Age, to investigate age-biased patterns. We challenge the assumption that such patterns are solely due to underlying demography, incomplete excavation or selective preservation of certain skeletons. We argue that age-related anomalies are linked at least in part to the funerary and social dimensions of these sites. By using age-at-death profiles, we demonstrate that age-based selection takes part in the overall funerary behaviour of a given culture, although other influences, such as demographic fluctuations and diseases, may play a determining role at given locales and at different time periods.https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/15954Mainland Southeast AsiaLate PrehistoryFunerary practicesAge-at-death selection
spellingShingle Baptiste Pradier
Frédérique Valentin
T.O. Pryce
The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris
Mainland Southeast Asia
Late Prehistory
Funerary practices
Age-at-death selection
title The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
title_full The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
title_fullStr The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
title_full_unstemmed The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
title_short The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective
title_sort age at death profile of burial sites in mainland southeast asia a funerary perspective
topic Mainland Southeast Asia
Late Prehistory
Funerary practices
Age-at-death selection
url https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/15954
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