Funerary Assemblages and Personal Identities. The Case Study of Tumuli 2 and 3 in Pergamon

Funerary assemblages as a rich source for funerary practices and ›gestes funéraires‹ allow for a contextual analysis yielding indications for personal objects, ritual practices, and variations of all kinds. As a result, a comprehensive picture of the cultural and social setting as well as personal beliefs emerges. In 1906, Tumuli 2 and 3 in Pergamon were excavated and two previously untouched sarcophagus burials dating to the mid 3rd century BC provided a variety of grave goods including a La Tène weapon set and substantial organic material. The finds are preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul and in the Pergamon depot. Finding an undisturbed funerary assemblage generates its own history and our paper centres on working with old finds by the combination of archaeology, bioarchaeology, archaeometry and museum studies. The re-examination and ›close reading‹ of the grave goods set within the conceptual framework of actor-network theory (ANT) led to a re-evaluation of the burials. The archaeological evidence points towards a composite set of beliefs, thus documenting the fluidity of personal identities in the Hellenistic world and the mental mobility of migrating individuals such as mercenaries.

Keywords:

Pergamon, tumulus burial, La Tène objects, Hellenistic mercenaries, bioarchaeology, actor-network theory