18th February 2009, 09:48 AM
I always got the impression that Prehistoric people (Bronze Age and Neolithic at least) had a fairly rough approach to their own dead - bodies being excarnated so that they could select the larger bones for burial later, earlier remains being pushed aside in a cist or burial chamber so new ones could be added. Not to mention the occassional body dumped in a ditch or buried under a collapsed rampart. I seem to recall that there has been some suggestion that certain types of burial chamber were designed so that at certain times bones could be viewed or even removed and 'displayed' to the populace; it could be argued therefore, that putting them in a museum is essentially the modern continuation of this form of ancestor worship! Some of them might actually be quite flattered to think that they were still being remembered after so long - surely the point of some burial rights (ancient Egyptian for example) was to try and live for ever and be remembered. If you stick them back in the ground that isn't going to happen.
(This probably has more to do with the other thread)
(This probably has more to do with the other thread)