Considerations for the identification of ritual deposits of animal bones in Iron Age pits

摘要

AbstractAlthough ritual practices amongst human groups are well documented, there are often great difficulties in deducing that ritual behaviour was one of the processes leading to the deposition of prehistoric animal bones. This paper examines developments in recent British literature, particularly those related to the interpretation of certain bones found in Iron Age pits and notably at Danebury hillfort. It discusses a set of arguments or criteria on which the growing literature on ritual is based. In most instances the criteria cannot be restricted to a solely ritual interpretation and a wider range of taphonomic explanations are possible. More rigorous excavation records and discussion of evidence are required to identify ritual satisfactorily.