Burial Rituals and Gender Identification from an Archaeogenetic Perspective: The Case of Van Castle Mound

NECROPOLEIS RESEARCH NETWORK ANNUAL MEETING VII , İstanbul, Turkey, 7 - 09 October 2024, pp.4, (Summary Text)

This study focuses on the research conducted on the skeletons of infants and children recovered during

archaeological excavations at the medieval settlement of Van Castle and Mound. The capital of the

Urartians, who established a kingdom centered in the Van Lake Basin between the 9th and 6th

centuries BC, is known as Van Castle. In particular, it focuses on burial rituals and the use of

archaeogenetic methods to determine gender. Anthropologically, the sex of infant and child skeletons

cannot be determined by morphological characteristics. Using ancient DNA analysis, the sex of infants

and children has been determined. In this settlement with high infant and child mortality (62.5%), the

role of funerary gifts in sex determination was examined. Traditionally, during the surveys conducted

in necropolis areas, various types of jewelry are found as death gifts in the graves of girls or women.

This jewelry is usually ornaments such as bracelets, earrings or necklaces. This helps us to understand

the relationship between gender roles and cemetery rituals. However, this study revealed a different

finding than expected. This suggests that cemetery rituals and burial customs may be intricately related

to gender roles and the social dynamics of society. This finding will require a deeper examination and

understanding for anthropologists and archaeologists.