Topographies of the Afterlife: Reconsidering Infant Burials in Medieval Mortuary Space
Erschienen in: Journal of Social Archaeology ; 17 (2017), 2. - S. 210-236 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1469605317704347 This manuscript is the accepted version of the following publication: Barbara Hausmair, Topographies of the afterlife. Reconsidering infant burials in medieval mortuary space, in Journal of Social Archaeology, 2017 OnlineFirst, pp. 1-27. Copyright © [2017] (Barbara Hausmair). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.1177/1469605317704347 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469605317704347 Topographies of the afterlife Reconsidering infant burials in medieval mortuary space Barbara Hausmair Abstract Across societies, deaths which take place in early infancy often trigger distinctive responses in burial practices, signifying the ambivalent social status of those who died before they really lived. This paper focuses on burial practices in medieval Central Europe pertaining to children who died before, during, or shortly after birth. It discusses the relationship between medieval laity, ecclesiastic power, and social space, using three medieval cemeteries in Switzerland and Austria as examples. By integrating considerations of medieval practices of infant baptism, afterlife topography, and social theories of space, a methodological and interpretative framework is outlined and employed for approaching burials of early-deceased infants, the social dimension of related local burial practices, and processes of power negotiation between medieval laypeople and church authorities. Keywords afterlife, baptism, burial space, Central Europe, early-infancy death, landscape, middle ages, mortuary archaeology, social space Introduction In medieval Europe the engagement with children who died before, during, or shortly after birth was closely linked to their baptismal status. As a means to clear the soul from Original Sin, baptism constituted the most profound rite of passage within Christianity.
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