Are we on the same page? Recording techniques, (re-)analysis and sharing results in Archaeothanatology – 30&31 October 2025
Date: 30 & 31 October 2025
Venue: Humanities Labs Workshop Space (F0.01), Bushuis Building, Kloveniersburgwal 46, Amsterdam (30 October); entrance of the Nieuwe Ooster Cemetery, Kruislaan 126, 1097 GA, Amsterdam (31 October)
Credits: 1-2 ECTS
Archaeothanatology is an established methodological approach, developed to document and interpret the position, preservation, and transformation of human remains within their depositional context. By integrating insights from taphonomy, bioarchaeology, and archaeology, it provides a systematic framework for reconstructing burial practices and social understandings of death in the past.
This workshop brings together researchers and students to reflect on current practices of recording and sharing archaeothanatological data, and their broader significance for archaeological research on death and burial. Speakers will present case studies from across the globe, addressing themes such as death and memory, ethical responsibilities, and (innovative) methods of recording, analyzing, and sharing results.
Building on previous ARCHON workshops on death and burial in the past, the symposium aims to strengthen knowledge of mortuary archaeology and archaeothanatology in the Netherlands, and provide practical insights for students and early career researchers seeking to apply methods and approaches to burial contexts in their own work.
Programme:
10:00 Coffee & Tea upon arrival
10:30 – 10:45 Welcome and introduction by Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Sarah Schrader (Leiden University), and Dr. Rachel Schats (Leiden University)
10:45 – 11:30 Keynote lecture Archaeothanatology: Introduction to the field and its methodology by Prof. Liv Nilsson Stutz (Linnaeus University)
11:30 – 11:45 Questions & discussion
11:45 – 12:15 Ritual, Activity and Community in Gotland’s First Churchyards by Dr. Alison Klevnäs and Dr. Astrid Noterman (Uppsala University)
12:15 – 13:15 Lunch (included, free of charge)
13:15 – 13:45 Life-like and death-like: An archaeothanatological analysis to unveil the care for dead bodies at advanced states of decomposition during rituals. Checua, Colombia (9000-5000 BP) by Dr. Juan Pablo Ospina (Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History)
13:45 – 14:15 Seeing the Invisible: Identifying Perishable Funerary Structures through Archaeothanatology in a Complex Chalcolithic Burial Context by Dr. Maria João Neves (University of Coimbra)
14:15 – 14:45 Coffee break
14:45 – 15:15 Looking for a new standard. Recording indications of mummification in museum collections by Prof. Liv Nilsson Stutz (Linnaeus University) and Dr. Rita Peyroteo Sjerna (Uppsala University)
15:15 – 15:45 Excavation, Documentation and Post-Excavation Analysis: An Archaeothanatological Perspective from the Nile Valley by Dr. Veronica Tamorri and Dr. Sarah Schrader (Leiden University)
15:45 – 16:30 Discussion and Questions moderated by Dr. Jo Appleby (University of Leicester)
16:30 – 17:30 Reception – drinks provided
Friday 31 October (excursion)
09:45 Meet at the entrance of the Nieuwe Ooster Cemetery
10:00 – 13:00 Guided tour of Museum Tot Zover and Nieuwe Ooster cemetery
Excursion: Death and Commemoration in Amsterdam
We will pay a visit to Dutch Funeral Museum Tot Zover, which offers a thoughtful and culturally diverse perspective on death and commemoration. We will be given a guided tour of the exhibit, followed by a tour of the oldest part of the Nieuwe Ooster cemetery.
Opened in 2007, Tot Zover is housed in the former cemetery director’s residence, and is the only museum in the Netherlands located in a cemetery. The museum explores how different cultures deal with death, funerals, mourning, and remembrance through exhibitions organized around four themes: rituals, the body, mourning and remembrance, and memento mori. Its collection includes coffins, urns, death masks, post-mortem photographs, mourning hairwork, and other funeral objects.
De Nieuwe Ooster is Amsterdam’s largest municipal cemetery and memorial park, and received the status of national monument in 2003 for its historical and cultural significance. It covers about 33 hectares, accommodates around 28,000 graves, and was developed in three major phases (1889, 1928, and 1954). The cemetery includes dedicated areas reflecting cultural and religious diversity. For example, an Islamic burial section was designed with orientation toward Mecca, with spaces for prayer and ritual washing. The cemetery also contains several memorials and monuments commemorating victims of World War II. Beyond its funerary function, De Nieuwe Ooster serves as an arboretum and green public space, with its botanical design and layout intended to invite reflection and contemplation while walking.
The entrance fee to the museum is not included (11,00 euro regular; 6,00 euro student; free for Museum Card holders).
N.B. there are limited spots available on the excursion, so make sure to sign up ASAP!
Credits: ARCHON members can receive 1 EC for attending the conference on the 30th of October and handing in a standard report, or by attending both the conference and excursion and adding a section of 500 words to the report reflecting on the excursion. Send your report to secretary@archonline.nl, indicating in both your e-mail and the report title whether it is for 1 or 2 EC.
Registration: https://forms.gle/cuHd4oUWR1hzYGVj6
