Abstract: In this lecture I present the methodological gains and the theoretical potentials of the cross-disciplinary approach known as anthropologie ‘de terrain,’ or ‘Field’ Anthropology. This taphonomically based approach to burials was developed in the 1970s and has become an integral part of French archaeology and physical anthropology, used in research and rescue projects alike. It combines detailed field observations of the position of the bones with biological knowledge about how the human body decomposes after death. The aim of the analysis is to isolate the effects of natural processes (putrefaction and decomposition, erosion, bioturbation, etc), in order to reconstruct the funerary treatment of the dead body. The analysis allows us to understand better how the body was handled after death. It documents in what state and in what position the dead was deposited, and if there were episodes of further interaction with the body during and/or after decomposition. Moreover, it often allows us to trace the presence of perishable gravegoods, clothing, wrappings and structures that have left no other trace than their effects on the decomposition of the body. The approach thus offers a highly rigorous, synthetic bioarchaeological field method for reconstructing past mortuary rituals.

     But besides yielding new results, anthropologie “de terrain” also has a potential to enrich burial archaeology from a theoretical perspective. Through the constant focus on the processes (natural and cultural) that produced the archaeological feature per se, it contributes to visualizing the mortuary ritual as a series of practices, which deal not only with the death of a social being, but also with the emergence of a cadaver. Anthropologie ’de terrain’ thus provides a quintessential link between the archaeological source of evidence and current archaeological and social theory (body theory, practice theory, etc).

    Here, I present the methodological bases for the approach, along with results I have obtained through analysis of the burials in the Mesolithic cemeteries at Skateholm (Sweden) and Vedbæk/Bøgebakken (Denmark). Through key examples, I discuss what I propose are important theoretical gains obtained by drawing on both the natural and social sciences. From this perspective, I present what I see as exciting future developments in interdisciplinary research in bioarchaeology.