Loose human bones as evidence of the multi-step burial rite: Case study of the Stone Age hunter-gatherer sites at Dudka and Szczepanki, Masuria (northeastern Poland)

The Dudka and Szczepanki sites yielded numerous loose human bones. They were found at the main cemetery at Dudka and in all the main settlement zones and are connected with multi-step burial rites, which were practiced by local hunter-gatherer society, especially in the Para-Neolithic period. Loose human bones from the settlement areas result from two ritual practices: temporary burials and the storage of bones at the encampment. Temporary burials were deposited mostly in the eastern bay at Dudka (trench III) from the Early Mesolithic to classic Zedmar period, when a large increase in their number is observed. Temporary burials were deposited on the slope between the encampment and the lake. Most human remains from Szczepanki may also be interpreted as temporary burials, which were located on the shore or directly at the encampment. The evidence of frequent storage of bones, especially skulls, is documented for the encampment area in trench I at Dudka as well as for the settled plateau in trench III, but mainly in the post-Zedmar period. Loose human bones at the main cemetery at Dudka may be connected with different ritual activities as well. Some of the bones come from possible emptied graves, i.e. most bones of the deceased were intentionally removed from the graves. Single bones, especially skulls and mandibles, may have been deposited as secondary burials in small pits or directly on the ground of the cemetery.