According to the study, in areas that had standard burial procedures, certain artifacts that were not used for practical purposes, such as miniature weapons, were often found alongside the bodies.These "grave goods" are sometimes considered by archaeologists to be the deceased person's property, who posit that burial was merely a method of disposal.Other archaeologists think that the objects could have had some sort of symbolic value, and were meant to honor the deceased and equip them with a token on their journey to the afterlife.
However, archaeologists struggled to explain the presence of these supplementary items when they weren't found near buried bodies.
This question arose at an excavation at Broxmouth, a Late Iron Age settlement in south-east Scotland that was inhabited for around 800 years, from the 7th century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. The preferred burial method in the area was excarnation, or leaving the body out to decompose.However, instead of being discarded or buried, old artifacts were found in places where they wouldn't be used by anyone. For example, spoons made out of bones and grinding stones were intentionally ensconced in the walls and floors of the homes discovered at the site.
According to the study, a possible explanation for this phenomenon could be that those survived by the deceased at the time of their death kept the artifacts for their sentimental value.
One common and well-researched phenomenon related to grief is the emotional connection to a mundane object that reminds the griever of his or her loved one, the study explained. The study claims that people often tend to view historical personalities in a way that does not include the wide range of emotions experienced in modern life. The study fights back at this theory by showing how in an ancient time, people kept the seemingly meaningless artifacts of their deceased loved ones to remember them by.
Büster wrote in a press release, quoted by CNN, that her work "uses archaeology to open up discussions around death, dying and bereavement in contemporary society, demonstrating that even the most mundane objects can take on special significance if they become tangible reminders of loved ones no longer physically with us."
In a discussion with CNN, she added that "one of my hopes is that people won't feel guilty about having those boxes of things under the bed or in the attic – we all have them. There is no normal way to grieve – it's a messy complicated thing and it's something we have been dealing with for thousands of years."