This book examines burial rituals among prehistoric communities that inhabited the East European forest zone between ca. 9500 and 2700 cal BCE. Based on evidence from 130 burial sites with a total of 1406 graves located between the Baltic and the Urals, the study provides a detailed examination of burial practices from the Mesolithic to the Early Bronze Age.Drawing upon extensive archaeological data and employing a multivariate statistical method, the research addresses key questions regarding the evolution of hunter-fisher-gatherer burial customs and the factors driving these changes. The study identifies three major transformations in burial practices among foraging populations. Each transformation appears to be associated with socio-structural, cultural and environmental changes, resulting in significant shifts in burial behaviour, as reflected in burial site location, body positioning, post-mortem manipulations, grave goods, and accompanying burial features.The research points to the evolving differential treatment of deceased children and women over time, indicating shifts in societal, age-related as well as gender-related attitudes. Previously undocumented burial practices, such as post-depositional grave disturbances and partial and full cremation, contribute to our understanding of mortuary traditions among local forest-zone foragers. Overall, the book sheds light on the social, cultural, and environmental dynamics of prehistoric communities in Eurasia, based on a comprehensive analysis of burial practices and their implications for broader societal changes.
